


Islands

by htcoady



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:07:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 74,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26864134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/htcoady/pseuds/htcoady
Comments: 7
Kudos: 19





	Islands

Islands  
By  
Hunter Coady

Prologue  
Names  
It was funny, almost. Xander hadn’t thought about names in years. Most of the slaves didn’t use to have any, only the nick-names they made up for each other. Once Xander had one, he hadn’t thought much about it. In his opinion, it didn’t mean anything. It was just one of the millions of them out there.  
Now he was sitting in front of a girl who was asking him for one. She had pressed the undecidable decision on to him. Despite his negative connotations towards them, this problem seemed more of a problem then he would have normally expected. But there was an undeniable weight of caution pressing on his shoulders from a source that he couldn’t place.  
“I…I don’t know,” Xander stumbled through the words.  
“Please! You seem like the person to do it. You’re the only one that’s listened to me,” the girl pleaded with him. Her soft brown eyes shone with a faint glimmer of hope, as if Xander was seeing a single faint ray of sunlight from a lighthouse all the way across the sea.  
“I’m sorry…I can’t.” He bit his tongue as he sighed.  
“You can’t think of anything?” From her expression, Xander was beginning to see she was losing her last bit of optimism. He watched as the light flickered out.  
“No...” Xander said reluctantly.  
“Thanks for nothing.” The ex-slave pushed her ashy hands under the table.  
“Can you finish your story?” It was what she was in the interrogation room for, Xander thought angrily to himself. He hadn’t asked to be dragged in to a second drama.   
She sighed, “Why are you so interested, anyway?” Of course, she knew why he was asking, but she didn’t want to allude that she knew more than they thought she did. She had to hold on to a few secrets.  
“We need to learn as much about Juma as possible. The invasion is coming, and we know nothing about the palace’s entry points. Besides the tunnel we use to access the palace, there seems like there are no viable candidates. We were thinking you could help if not with that, then other technical things.”  
She took a deep breath, “Okay. So, I was cleaning the dining room when I overheard a conversation. After a bit of talking I realized it was the king and the governor of Primo Island. They kept talking about bringing in a new ‘vacationer’- whatever that is.” Actually, she knew exactly what the two officials had been talking about. She had met the vacationer first-hand.  
“After a while they sat down and asked me to pour them some wine. I did so and this gave me an opportunity to listen. They became so drunk they didn’t realize what they were saying. And so, I heard…” She looked up at him slowly, false terror in her eyes.  
“What?” Xander prompted.  
“They’re planning an attack.” She had almost forgotten that part. Almost.  
“What?” He stood up abruptly, trying to motion to Diamond outside the room.  
“Wait!” She put her hands over his arms before he could raise them all the way, “Please don’t. One of them might be the spy.”   
He was right on cue as he asked her. “The one what?”  
“The spy.” And there went the final mark on her checklist.  
He sat back down, “Tell me the rest.”  
“They said they’ll be using the ‘vacationer’ to track down some stragglers. Once that’s done, they’re sending their entire fleet here. They said their spy was supplying all the information they needed.”  
“We’ve suspected a spy for weeks now. After they thwarted our surprise attack on I’ssho I’m not surprised. Anything else?” Xander’s initial shock had calmed down.  
“The next day they brought in the ‘vacationer’ from the other world. Then, as you know, I found you, and we went here.”  
“Wow,” he whistled.  
“Can I go now?” She had accomplished everything she had needed to do.  
“...Yes,” Xander nodded slowly. As if he had any authority. Even though the girl was merely a few months older than him, she was almost a head taller.  
She galloped off in a way that reminded him of the old story about Amber City and the skipping frog. Amber. Amber. Amber.  
“Wait-” he halted her just as she was exiting the room.  
“Yeah?” She glanced back.  
“What about Amber?”   
“Huh,” she said, pondering it. “I kind of like it.” Then she walked off mumbling over and over again; “My name is Amber.”

Part One

Juma

Ten days earlier…  
Chapter One  
The Caribbean Islands  
The day my life changed forever began on a beach.

The sand nestled itself between my toes, whirlpools forming as I turned them in to tiny shovels. I was so excited to stay on this tropical island! The sun glared at all it could cover, making the beach as hot as an oven. Every once in a while, a wave would come rolling by, leaving my toes briefly exposed to the elements. Then I would start twisting my feet back in to the cool peach surface...  
The Caribbean was amazing; my parents had planned this vacation since the beginning of school! It seemed like every year they made sure to make a huge trip away from our home in Columbus, Ohio. We had been to the Caribbean on several trips before on the private island my parents owned. The only difference was this time, we were staying for more than a month. We hadn’t quite yet been there for a week, but it had seemed like we had already done an endless worth of activities. It felt good to finally have a day off.  
I reflected the year: I had aced my classes, pleasing my parents, still leaving time for me to balance my school and social life. I was somewhat popular: well liked, but not very well known. My best friend: Troy, was remarkably similar to me. He had good grades, was kind of quiet, and liked to stand up for himself. And then, of course, we both had extremely obnoxious parents. Almost everyone did at Esther Prep, an expensive private school near the city outskirts.   
A cloud blocked the sun for a moment, cooling my dark skin for short relief from the light rays. Wind rustled the sand in a sharp jolt, the fastest breeze I’d seen on the calm beach.  
A movement behind my left shoulder startled me, and I jumped up. A brown-haired woman with an aging face sat down leisurely beside me. She was wearing a flowing white robe, which struck me as an odd attire for the beach. Even though her loose body posture made it seem as if she was sitting next to me casually, her rigidly stone face showed she had come here with a purpose. The woman seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.   
“Beautiful isn’t it?” The woman breathed, looking at me with shiny blue eyes that almost matched the sea. My brain seemed to be playing tricks on me, because I could almost see a faint glimmer of light surrounding her lean shape.  
“Yeah,” I hesitantly replied. We sat like that for a few minutes, leading me to wonder who she was. Her whole attitude was very creepy, too much so for me. I kept trying to subtly look back, attempting to locate my family. Whoever this lady was, she unsettled me.  
“You from around here?” the lady asked passively, watching a small wave crash in to her legs. I pulled away my feet before the water could reach my toes.  
“No.” I stared suspiciously at her. She now refused to meet my glance, staring far off in to the surf.  
“Me neither. I live in faraway islands unreachable by your kind.”  
“Huh?” I wondered aloud. It was one of those sentences that you’re sure you’ve heard correctly, but don’t entirely understand. I was liking this lady less and less. She gave off a bad vibe, almost like she was planning to hurt me.  
“What’s your name?” the lady asked as her head tilted at a slight angle. Her face was far too curious, way too extreme for just being friendly.   
I looked at her, picked up my chair, and walked away. When I turned back halfway up the beach, the lady was gone. There was no sign she had ever been there, as the sand that had held proof of her arrival was now wiped blank. The water seemed to have washed away her footprints. I felt like I was hallucinating, because it was like she had disappeared in to thin air. It was only later did I wonder how she got on the private island.  
***  
I spent the day thinking about the old woman. I had so many questions about her. Who was she? How did she get on the island? What did she mean by your kind? I almost regretted not talking to her when she had sat down beside me. I could have walked away at any given time.  
I was sitting on the beach again a few hours after the incident, hoping for another clue to help understand my odd conversation. While lost in thoughts, a large wave loomed over me and slammed in to my passive stature, giving my mouth a taste of water and sand. I shakily got to my feet, spitting the salty mixture out of my mouth.  
Suddenly, I saw something sparkling in the sand. At first glance it could have been a shell, but as the water receded it was clear that it was far from any natural bi-product. I scooped it up after wiping myself off, washing the object gingerly in the water. It seemed to be a long chain. I examined it more closely and discovered that it was a small silver necklace. There was an ornately cut blue jewel on the bottom with the initials JM engraved on to it. I began to speculate. Could this have belonged to the woman I had seen just hours before? The island was secluded from most pollution and discarded trash, and from what I’d heard about the tides, it only washed up local objects. It was extremely unlikely the piece of jewelry came from far out in the deep ocean. On top of that, the gemstone looked to be real, possibly a sapphire. If that was true, then the necklace was extremely valuable, and it was strange for someone to misplace it without a deliberate purpose.  
My sister, Myra, walked over. She was barely a year older than me, fifteen, but she acted like she was the queen of the universe. We got along okay, except for her jarringly annoying moments- like when she had ‘borrowed’ fifty dollars from my room to go on one of her many frequent shopping sprees.   
“Hi,” she said, wading out in to the water. Myra recoiled as a wave washed over her chest, bringing her back a few feet and closer to my chair.  
“Hey,” I said, making sure to hide the necklace behind my back. If Myra saw it, she would probably want it. And what Myra saw Myra got.  
“Something wrong?” she asked, picking up a horn-like seashell and looking over it. Funny, if I hadn’t picked up the necklace a minute ago, she probably would have been the one to find it.  
“No,” I hastily replied. She dropped the seashell carelessly, picking up another, much more fragile one.  
She gave me that look that said she didn’t believe me. “Ok,” she said sarcastically, “Then what are you fidgeting with behind your back?” Myra had a knack for finding, small, out of place objects. Two years ago, when she was going in to eighth grade, she had happened upon a misprinted penny that she had later penned at a pawnshop for almost three-hundred dollars.  
I tried to shove the necklace down my pocket, but then I embarrassingly remembered that my swim trunks didn’t have any. Myra slinked over to me, and quick as a tiger, she snatched the necklace up.  
“Cool!” she exclaimed, rubbing the small blue jewel at the bottom. “Where in the world did you find it?” Her eyes glowed with as much excitement as a mom hunting for new clothes in a half-off bargain sale at the mall.  
I looked at her, pondering whether I should tell her the full story. What could be the harm? She had already found the necklace.  
“Well, promise not to tell?” The last thing I needed now was my parents preaching about stranger danger.  
Myra nodded frantically like she needed to hear about the necklace in the next five seconds.  
“Okay. So, there was this older woman who sat next to me on the beach. I…”  
“But this is a private island. How did she get here?” Myra loved to interrupt and put her two cents in. At least her common sense was light-years ahead of mine.  
“That’s what I don’t know. She said this place was pretty beautiful and started talking about these islands she lived on. She made it sound weird and she was making me uncomfortable. Eventually she asked me my name, so I got up and walked away. When I looked back, and this is going to sound weird, she was gone.”  
“What do you mean gone?” Myra had all her focus on me, now interrogating my expressions to see if I was pranking her.  
“I mean she wasn’t on the beach anymore. It was almost like she disappeared in to thin air.”   
“Huh…Okay…But what does that have to do with the necklace?”  
“I think she left it behind.” It sounded so much more idiotic out loud. At some level I waited for her to burst out laughing.   
But instead she looked concerned, all the while simultaneously staring at me like she wasn’t buying my story.  
“Please don’t tell mom and dad,” I said desperately. They worried about everything. They were not going to like this.  
I think she understood the desperateness on my face. “Don’t worry, I won’t…Just stay away from weird old ladies from now on, okay?” It was almost weird to have her care about my safety.  
“Okay.” I nodded, and she handed the necklace back.  
“Thanks.” I held the accessory much more tightly, afraid to lose it a second time.  
Myra attempted to change the subject as she wiped the grimness off her face. “You want to play some beach volleyball?” Her gaze, however, was still fixed on a single patch of sand. I could see the gears turning.  
“Sure,” I said, and we were off to find my parents.

That evening we went back to the house where we were staying for the month. I rubbed anxiously at my leg, where a single spot had procured a nasty sunburn. I had stupidly relied on my dark complexion to provide as a shield for no sunscreen.   
My family sat down around the dining table. Meanwhile, a personal chef prepared us steaks and seafood.  
“Tomorrow a private guide is taking us to a cave,” my mom said suddenly, in order to produce a better reaction.  
“Really?” I said. I had always loved caves. Back home I went exploring for one in the nearby woods, but I always came up empty handed. Now we were going to a real one!  
“Do I have to?” Myra replied. She hated bugs and spiders, so caves were right up her spook alley.  
“Yes. We are going to enjoy it as a family. Plus, afterwards were going to have a nice lunch on a hill overlooking the island. Now doesn’t that sound like fun?” Only she wasn’t asking, she was telling.  
“Oh-haw,” Myra said, suddenly focused on the table’s vibrant pattern.  
“Look,” My mom reasoned, “How about afterwards we go out on the yacht?” I tallied up another point on the we’re so spoiled chart. We had to be reaching six-digit numbers by now.  
“Fine,” Myra said, avoiding my mom’s watchful glare. In my opinion, it was much easier to enjoy ourselves together if the time came naturally, like the quiet walk on the beach we had managed as a family last night. But it wasn’t like I had much say in it.  
Just then, a booming fragrance found its way in to the room. The chef burst through the double doors of the kitchen, carrying two large silver dishes. He strode over to the table in a neat walk and began delivering our steaks.  
“Thank you,” my dad said halfheartedly to the chef, but he wasn’t even looking in the right direction.  
“Yeah,” the chef said sarcastically. I didn’t think he cared much for my father.  
We began to eat. Blood poured out of my medium-rare steak. It was seasoned beautifully and cooked to perfection. I scarfed down the plate, leftovers dribbling down my chin. The food momentarily distracted me from the uncomfortable silence.  
I looked up. The rest of my family was looking at their food like someone had spit in it, which was not an unlikely possibility. We were not well liked. When they finished picking around at the rest of their food, we packed up our stuff, and left.

Later that night I once again examined the ornate necklace. With the light of the lamp on the desk in my bedroom, it was much easier to see the shiny blue pendant. I turned it over and over in my hand, fingering the smooth jewel. Except it hadn’t been cut flawlessly. It seemed like there were a few small indentations on the bottom side. I ran my fingers back over the possible sapphire, making sure I hadn’t imagined the divot. The mistake was deliberate: I'm not quite sure how I hadn’t spotted it previously, but it was there, glaringly obvious in the patient light.  
In tiny but painstakingly clear lettering someone had written the words cave ruins. And I was going to find out what they meant.

Chapter Two  
Ruins  
We trudged over sandy hills, eventually in to a small cove hidden by dunes. I could see for miles around, all the way to the end of the island. The rather-clean cave was down below, about an inch of crystal water steadily flowing out of it.  
“We will wait for low tide to go in,” the guide announced, sliding down the sand and in to the shallow water. We followed, just out of reach of the lapping waves. I stared deep in to the cave, wondering what was inside the dark tunnel.  
“How much longer?” my dad asked impatiently. His thumb twitched nervously at his side.  
“Not much longer. We just need to wait for the water to recede,” the lady answered. She had a pretty yet adventurous face, not the kind of fragile beauty you normally see on people. Her expression remained positive, her green eyes glimmering in contrast to the setting.  
We sat down on the slanted hill, making sure not to fall in to the water. I absently fingered the necklace as I listened to my family discuss their plan for the day. Cave ruins. I gazed around the area, looking for anything that might help solve this mystery. They had to be here. I had concluded last night that the ruins had to be somewhere inside the cave. It was unlikely there was any other cave on the island. All I had to do was wait.   
Soon the last of the water trickled out of the cave and we were ready to go in.  
“C’mon,” the guide beckoned, standing up and walking in to the gaping mouth. I jolted up, excited to see if I could put this mystery to rest. I marched in to the cave, my parents almost contiguous to my heels. Myra reluctantly followed, examining the walls as if they were made of molten lead. I had a slight urge to go back and comfort her, but my wild sense of adventure easily outweighed any empathy I had for her irrational phobia.  
“Have you been here before?” I asked the guide, trying to be friendly as I matched her brisk stride. She turned around slightly, and I could tell she appreciated being noticed.  
“I scouted the cave a few hours ago. I’ve been here before, once, a long time ago. I believe that’s the reason your parents hired me.” She glanced at my mom, who gave a curt nod.   
We moved slowly through the cave, observing the occasional spider and appreciating the smooth depressions in the stone walls. Not a single mark interrupted their flawlessness, and I could even sense my parents stop for a moment in awe at the site’s natural beauty. They even chose to ignore the distinct drop in temperature.  
“Ahhhhhhhh!!!” Myra shrieked. We turned around to see a gigantic cricket in her now imperfect hair. She swatted at it, hopping up and down like a cartoon character in a ridiculous rage. My dad leaned over and flicked it off nonchalantly.  
“Overreact much?” I asked sarcastically.  
“Thanks,” she mumbled to my dad, her face growing red.  
The tour guide moved on, “This cave was probably formed by erosion. It started off as a rock face. Slowly after many years of being pounded away by waves, it turned in to a full passage,” she narrated.  
We trudged along up and down, side to side. The tunnel momentarily thinned, and we had to turn sideways to move forward. Eventually, after going through the shallow straight, the cave came to a fork. I shined my flashlight to illuminate the area. On the left side we saw a small stream of water that continued as far as the light extended. On the right the passage widened comfortably, complete with much drier ground.  
“We have to go left,” the tour guide told us.  
“Ughh, but it’s so much drier on the right. Why can’t we go that way?” Myra complained. I scoffed lightly in to my arm, waiting for someone to tell her off.  
“Myra’s right, I didn’t come to this cave to get all wet,” my mom said, flashing a stern look at the guide. I resisted rolling my eyes back in to my head.   
“The right side is very dangerous,” the guide reiterated. “The ground is peppered with holes. I have scoped the area out myself. I will not take you there. If you do not wish to go to the left, then we will have to go back.”  
“Come on guys, suck it up. We’ve barely been in here ten minutes.” I didn’t want my cave adventure to end so quickly. I still hadn’t seen any ruins either.  
“You will take us to the right side. I’m sure we’ll be safe, especially with a professional like you. If not, I’ll be having a word with your supervisor,” my mom said angrily. I hated it when she got like this. I loved my parents, but a lot of the time they overreacted and spun everything out of control. Sometimes I just wanted to shrink away.  
The guide sighed, looking for me to change my parents mind. Sorry, I mouthed. “Fine,” she snapped, “Though you can’t sue me if you get hurt.”  
“Oh yes we can,” my mom retorted. “It’s your fault if something happens to us.”  
The guide glared at her. She was probably liking our family less and less. If she liked us in the first place.  
I scooted up next to her before we began to move again. I always felt bad for the people who were victims to my parents.  
As we began to go forward, I wanted to lighten the mood. “What’s your name?” I asked.  
“Mrs. Paddington, but you can call me Sarah,” she said, exaggerating the word you to make it clear that she didn’t want anybody else calling her that. Well that worked, I thought bitterly in my head.  
We made sure to scan the floor with flashlights to look for hidden holes. Contrary to what Sarah had said, we failed to spot even a dip in the smooth floor.  
“I don’t see any holes,” my dad declared.  
“There are more up ahead,” Mrs. Paddington said bluntly. Sure enough, she was right. As soon as we turned a corner, I could see a lot of them scattered through a larger cavern. I peered down one, trying to discern how deep it was. I couldn’t see the bottom.  
“Please watch your step,” Sarah cautioned, as she hopped over a divot.  
Then suddenly, I was falling in to darkness.  
“Carter!” my mom screamed. I hit the ground with a loud oomph. When I regained my breath and sat up, I examined my throbbing body. I must have fallen really far. I didn’t seem to have broken anything, but you could never really tell. My butt really hurt.  
“Hello?” I called out in to the dark. There was no answer. All I could see was black. I found my flashlight and flicked it on to see I was surrounded by four stone walls with weathered carvings. Ruins. Cave ruins.  
Curiosity overwhelmed the creepiness of what was happening. It was stupid, I know, but maybe it would be an answer to what had been happening around the island. The suspense was killing me.   
I examined the walls, trying to find out where I was. I could see drawings of tropical islands, treacherous storms, and large fleets of war boats. I saw a carving of a confident man sitting on a throne and a large army invading an enormous palace.  
On one wall I found an opening. Should I go through? Maybe I should wait to see if I would be rescued. But did they even know where I’d fallen? Probably not. Maybe the passage would lead to a way out. Maybe it wouldn’t. I thought about it, and the chance outweighed the risk. Besides, I could always come back. And so, slightly reluctantly, I continued through the ruins.  
It wasn’t normal for fear to find me but being alone was starting to spook me. I heard the drip, drip, drip of water trickling in from somewhere far off and cricket sounds echoing through the stone walls.  
I continued along the passage for what seemed like hours. Every step I grew increasingly tired. Then the tunnel sloped down, and I heard heavy whispers not far from where I was standing.  
“This way,” a voice hissed. “I heard a sound.”  
“Did he mention how much we were getting paid? This is a lot of work and the last few jobs didn’t give us much.” The second voice was much deeper pitched, with an edge of annoyance to his raspy tone.  
“Nope. You know he never does until we bring him back the person of description.”  
That sent a chill down my spine. I stopped dead in my tracks, straining to hear more. The voices grew louder and louder until they seemed right on top of me.  
I scrambled backwards. What were these people doing here? The way they talked reminded me of the women I had met yesterday: astute and calculated.  
I slipped on a puddle and landed face-down in warm mud. I could feel my nose swell up, oozing sticky blood in to the muddy water. I couldn’t move. My head pounded, unable to process what was happening.  
The voices caught up to me.  
“Well look what we’ve found.” I was paralyzed in fear, trying to turn without success. It was as if Medusa herself was pressing on to me. My spine prickled in anticipation for a strike.  
“He probably heard us and tried to run away,” the first man said, a little softer.  
I was so scared. I tried to stand up but fell back down on the cave floor. The two men laughed, as if my attempt to run was extremely comedic.  
Then I was being lifted, being carried back down the passage I’d tried to back track out of. I struggled, trying to get out of the two men’s heavy grasp. They had iron grip with sharp fingernails digging in to my skin.  
“Get off me!” I screamed. I tried to kick both of them unsuccessfully. They were holding me casually yet tightly, like they were used to kidnapping children.  
“We’ve got a screamer,” one of the men said jokingly. Their grip tightened.  
“Why are you doing this?” I asked pleadingly.  
“We’ve got to bring you to the king. He’s real interested in a new va-cat-ion-er.” The man pronounced with strained syllables like he’d never said it before.  
“It’s just a job kid. Sorry about the hassle, but the King was really specific. He sees something powerful in you.”  
What did they mean? “Why does he want me?” I asked.  
“You guys are a lot of help to him. He wants you to find out where the remaining rebels are. Or I think. You’ll have to forgive my reading of politics.”   
The other man laughed, “Yeah, after you got that penalty for interrupting that sage on the Cult Islands.”  
“She was trying to kill me! What was I supposed to do?”  
“If you count a good luck spell as murder, then you might have bigger problems then a blue-bit fine.”  
That made me even more confused. It angered me that they could seemingly joke back and forth when they were in the middle of a kidnapping. It made me feel like I was beneath even a single emotional thought.  
“Here we are,” one of the men announced. I bent my neck, trying to see where we were. In front of me, all I could make out was a swirling vortex. A purple tornado of mist right at what should be a dead end. But that wasn’t possible. None of it. I needed to know why this was happening to me but couldn’t think through the pain and trying to form a plan to escape. The vortex tugged on me as if it wanted me to go inside it. I saw dust and even smaller pebbles float peacefully in to the storm like it was merely a friendly cloud.  
Nothing made sense. I felt like I was going to pass out from stress alone. My mind couldn’t comprehend anything through the pounding pulses of agony.  
“1...” the two men started counting in unison. It was like the scene was playing out in slow motion, as I realized what was about to happen. They were going to throw me in!  
“2...” They started swinging my body back and forth to the ebb of the storm’s pull.  
“3!” They finished the count as I was thrown in to the vortex. It pulled lightly on my limbs, but turned more aggressive as my body melded in to what felt like jelly. Every bit of skin felt like it was going to be tugged off from the force. I wouldn't be able to stand it for much longer without succumbing to unconsciousness.   
For less than a second, I thought I saw a girl. She was beautiful, adorning a black dress that complimented her mature face. But she was gone in an instant.  
And then everything went black.

Chapter Three  
The Palace  
I woke up in a large stone room, alone. Where was I? It was devoid of life except for a few abnormally large bugs. I shooed a greenish centipede away from my foot and brushed myself off. My nose screamed with agony, still angry from my fall earlier. However much time had passed had not helped to heal it. Even my leg still stung from too much sun, even though the burn should have been long gone by now.  
There was nothing to distinguish the room from any other. There was no furniture, just bleak grey walls that seemed to leer at me. Against one wall there was a wooden door, which had a small glass window on the top center.  
There was no logic to my situation. The last thing I remembered was the vortex, but after that there was nothing else within my memory. Yes, it did seem like it was out of a science fiction movie, but was it possible that the vortex had transported me somewhere?  
Suddenly the door was flung open. An official woman wearing a brown robe and flowing braids walked in.  
“Hello,” she greeted me. She crouched down and examined my face. She placed a hand on my shoulder. “I believe you have something of mine?” she inquired.   
“What?” I had no idea what the woman was talking about.  
“My necklace.” Then, suddenly, I recognized her. It was the woman I had met at the beach. I hadn’t recalled her because she had been wearing somewhat different clothing and now had on much heavier makeup. The official clothing uniquely suited her.  
“Oh,” I said, fishing the necklace out of my pocket and handing it to her.   
“I was hoping you’d find it. I am the receiver. My job was to interest you in the cave by leaving my necklace behind.”  
“Wh-,” she held up her hand before I could finish a single word.  
“-Stop. Let me explain,” she said dismissively.  
“But-,” once again I was cut off. I was so confused. A headache began to form again, clouding my muddled thinking.  
“You are no longer in your own world. You were taken to ours as we believe you could be of significant use to us. The King would like to talk to you.” She held out a hand, asking me to take it.  
Crazy thoughts raced through my head. I had to get back. Those two men had kidnapped me and taken me somewhere. I had no idea where I was and there was no way I trusted this lady…The receiver.  
“If you do not take my hand I will have to resort to force. Is that clear?” I took her hand.  
She led me through the door and down the dimly lit passage. Torches had been placed about every ten feet, but it was not enough to illuminate the entirety of the dark. We went up several stairways, twisting around and around in a loose spiral. Everywhere we went seemed to be sloping up. We must have started deep underground, because we would have been extremely high up in the air if we had started at ground level; the smell was musty with the tinge of dirt. I was beginning to wonder if we were lost, when at last, we approached a reinforced steel door.   
“You must be very polite. The King does not take well to those who do not respect him. Understand?” The receiver vaguely reminded me of my mother.  
“Yes,” I nodded even though I didn’t quite comprehend. What did I get myself in to?  
She knocked twice on the door and it opened abruptly. In the room in front of me, two men sat deep in discussion. A young and frightened girl stood holding the door open, eyes wide. She had brown, wavy, hair and olive colored skin.  
The first man was incredibly old and owned a snow-white beard. He wore a robe and small spectacles that hid his squinty eyes and hammered in his resemblance to a turtle. The second man (I assumed he was the King) looked very official. He wore a golden circlet that was absent of any gems, but his blood red cloak was covered in many shiny jewels. The gems were arranged in a tight spectrum, shimmering like a rainbow as he adjusted himself in his chair. He appeared to be in his mid-fifties, with large tufts of grey poking through his jet-black hair.  
“Ah…You have awoken,” the King said. The receiver pushed pass me, leaving the room quietly after a curtsy to her superiors. “Sit,” the King ordered, motioning to a wooden chair placed in a triangular position to the men.  
“You were asleep for quite a while,” the old man informed me. “Nearing seven days I think.” Seven days! I had never been asleep longer than twelve hours. I wondered why my injuries had failed to heal.  
“What’s your name?” the King asked.  
“Carter,” I shot out quickly. “Where am I?” I asked, not expecting a straight answer.  
“Well,” began the King, “You now dwell on the Latuga Islands on Juma, the capital.” I’d never heard of Juma or the Latuga Islands before.  
“You are no longer on your world…Earth, I believe they call it.” So, according to him, I was on another planet, probably not even on the same universe, and maybe not even the same dimension. It was probably just an elaborate prank or hoax. However, it was startling how easy it was to entertain that it could be a new reality when faced with the facts. I might have gone through a portal which would mean, despite science, I was no longer on Earth. Here, maybe I would have to start ignoring what I thought might be happening and just know that weird things would transpire. But still, it made no sense. It was like I was in a page torn right out of a fantasy book.  
“Yes,” confirmed the other man. I dared not interrupt due to the warning the receiver had given me earlier, but this revelation just presented a whole new array of questions.  
“The politics on Latuga are…complicated. You are on the capital island, Juma, but there are many, many others. Each island has a governor, who is elected every decade. The royalty name of the monarchy is kept for five hundred years and is then re-chosen, but this is not always the case. My family name was chosen again for another hundred years.” The King scratched nervously at his nose.  
“Many people are outraged over this,” the older man added. “The smaller islands feel that they do not have as much representation for the royalty line.”  
“Others are upset because it was once law that a royalty line could not be re-elected. This was changed though, nearly seven hundred years ago. Still others complain that the government is corrupt and that many citizens were blackmailed or payed to vote for certain officials. Some disagree with the slave policy. The cries for false justice are so extreme that an uprising has started. The idea of a rebellion has taken root. They plan to dethrone the monarchy and restyle the government in to something more like yours, with presidents and better representation for the smaller states, or in our case, islands. The entire nation is divided and it’s turning in to a war.”  
The whole story seemed way to elaborate to make up. Once again, the facts presented themselves in a way that made sense. It was odd that they were telling me everything-even the stuff that probably didn’t help their case of keeping me calm.  
“But why kidnap me?” I demanded, regardless of the warning. I was getting ticked off. Whether or not this was real, how could anyone think it was okay to put someone through this?  
“We believe you can help us stop the rebellion,” he said simply, "People from your world seem to always develop helpful skills. There was a simple solution. Governor, would you wish to explain?”  
“Governor?” I interrupted, turning to the older man.  
“Yes,” he said slowly, “I am governor of Primo Island. You may call me Governor Hancock. Anyway, our world revolves around magic, as they call it in your world. Here most people call it by the specific skills they have. There are healers, makers, distorters, charmers, destroyers, and changers, among others.  
Most of the names are tell-tale but you will learn about the rest in due time. Some people are born with extraordinarily strong skills and some are born without any. Some develop them late in life while some have powers that whittle away with time. People from your world often have strong skills that are very helpful to us. The only problem is that most disagree with our ways. So, we resorted to children who have not yet grown strong opinions.” I could see how people could freak out, if this was how they welcomed everybody.  
“Okay…” I said. After all the crazy things that had been explained to me in the past fifteen minutes, why not?  
“You are taking this well,” Governor Hancock smiled, “Most people do not believe us.”  
“Yeah…It’s easy to accept it once it’s right in front of you.” I may have not entirely accepted it in my head, but it felt best to convince them I was on board so I could plan an escape from wherever I was.  
My thoughts slipped to my family. Uh-oh. They must have been flipping out. My mom had probably called the FBI at this point and ordered I’d be found. But after seven days, they must have been losing hope I’d come back or be found. The king’s voice broke through my weary thoughts.  
“We are sorry for the trouble with bringing you here. We needed you as soon as possible to begin training.”  
“Training?” I gawked. What did they think a fourteen-year-old kid could do?  
“Yes, training, we need you now. We speculated an attack for weeks now that the rebellion is planning an attack on the capital itself. You are in no state to do anything right now. Tomorrow you will report to the training field and begin imme-”  
“When can I go home?” I asked, once again dismissing the warning.  
The reply was quick and terse: “As soon as we get what we want.”  
***  
It sounded like I was a prisoner, but it didn’t feel like it. Save the last threatening comment, the King and governor had been relatively kind. They hadn’t hidden anything from me and had told me everything about the island’s government, even the bad things. But I couldn’t leave. At least not until I helped stop a war. If that was even the truth.   
I was shown out of the room, which I found out by the girl who had been holding open the steel door and was showing me the way, was mostly used for private discussions and hearings. As soon as we were out of earshot of the two men, I asked the girl her name.  
She sighed as if answering the question was a burden, “We don’t have any. We slaves aren’t given names at birth.”  
“What do your friends call you?” she glared at me as if I was oblivious to everything.  
“We are not permitted to have friends,” she said blankly.  
“Oh. I’m sorry…” The apology was not acknowledged. I had to be careful in order not to offend people. I certainly didn’t agree with slavery especially as someone from ancestry of that practice, but it wasn’t as if I could do anything about it. That was just the way things worked here.  
She took me up to the nicer parts of the palace. The place must have been gigantic! Corridors stretched in every direction for miles. The place was only flawed in that it was very dimly lit, with just torches to show the way.  
Blank walls soon became decorated with tapestries, paintings, and stained-glass windows. Outside, it appeared to be nighttime, which was probably responsible for some of the darkness.  
We passed few people. It seemed as if most of them were asleep. That or not many people occupied the immense palace.  
This palace is real. I couldn’t help thinking that this was no fake set, but an actual building. Every detail was in place, and I simply couldn’t believe someone would do this to play a prank on me.  
After about five minutes of walking we reached a large marble archway. A small sign above it labeled the passage beyond it the Bathing Rooms. The girl shooed me inside.  
“Turn the knob to get water. Left for hot, right for cold. When you get out, you will have new clothes awaiting you,” the slave recited quickly.  
I stepped through the archway as she hurried away. The smell and feel of steam hit me almost immediately. I found my way to a side door marked guest and assumed that meant me.  
Inside, three large baths made of shiny white material sat nearest to the far wall. The water inside swirled around, looking like a mix between a whirlpool and a hot tub. I was eerily reminded of the vortex I’d been kidnapped through. The portal. A single knob made of black marble was fixed on each of the pools.  
As I got in, my stress seemed to melt away. The hot water soothed my nose letting sticky blood pour into the lapping waves. Aromatic oils floated in the tub through tiny slits in the bathtub, reminding me of a minty orchard.  
When I got out, I noticed someone had placed grey cotton pants and a new white robe on the door knob. I hadn’t noticed anyone come in, nor had they been there when I had first entered. When I thought about it, I was almost one hundred percent sure no one could have entered without me seeing them. It was the receiver on the beach all over again! I put on the new outfit and found the slave-girl waiting for me outside.  
“Hey,” I said.  
“Come on,” she snapped. She took off in a fast stride and showed me to my room.  
“Here,” she shoved some keys in to my hands, “I will wake you up tomorrow and show you to the training room.” She pushed me in and slammed the door in my frozen face.  
The room was scarcely decorated with a small bed, a polished black table, and a nightstand. Off to one side there was a bathroom. The table was piled high with plates of bizarre fruits, breads, and meats.  
Almost immediately a hunger awoke inside my belly. I tried a piece of toasty bread. A monster came out of me, ferociously destroying the feast. I dug in to the food, gorging myself on the feast and trying everything. Most of it wasn’t bad, except for a lumpy vegetable-looking food which tasted like vomit. I especially liked a sweet blue fruit, which was almost like candy.  
I went off to bed satisfied. Staring up at the ceiling, I contemplated the day. The whole thing seemed made up. Did I really believe in magic? It seemed ridiculous, but for some reason, the feel of this place made it real. Still, I had yet to have a demonstration of anything besides the building.  
Tomorrow I would work hard as my body allowed possible for training. I had to get back to the Caribbean as soon as possible. As soon as the war was over, (however long that may be) the king would let me go. Then everything would go back to normal and who knew? -If the people here could do magic, maybe they could also make everyone forget the whole incident.   
Soon my eyes grew tired and my breathing slow. Before I knew it, I was asleep.  
***  
A young woman with black hair awoke me the next morning. Her face looked kind and full of wisdom for someone so young.  
For a moment, I questioned my surroundings before the events of the day previous came flooding back to me.  
“It’s time for your test,” the woman informed me.  
“Test?” I asked nervously. I hadn’t been told I was expected to know anything.  
“Yes, before we can train you, we must assess where your talent lies.” I didn’t have any kind of special talent. Did she really think I had practiced magic before?  
“What kind of test is it?” I wondered.  
“Not anything hard,” the woman assured me, “People are not affected by the skills they own. Different masters will be using theirs’s on you, to see if there is a reaction.” That seemed simple enough.  
“I thought someone else was supposed to wake me,” I commented aloud, maybe a little rudely.  
“There were complications last night. The slave girl who assisted you escaped Juma and went to help the rebellion.” That surprised me. It must have been late last night. The girl didn’t have much time to fur fill her duties and then leave, but it might have explained why she had been so jittery and rude.  
“Do you have any skills?” I asked, changing the subject.  
“I am a talented healer. There is almost no cut I can’t seal nor no broken bone I can’t fix. I am also an accomplished distorter.” The woman boasted. “Though it does come at a price…I can be affected by all skills, even distortion and healing.” She bit her lip and stretched, showing me out of the room. We walked down the hallway, the woman smiling at me the whole way. It wasn’t long before we reached the training room. It was a large field with several rooms branching out from the central one. We went to one of the rooms on the left, which was empty except for two chairs. I sat down in one and she took the other.  
“I will take questions before you begin,” she said expectantly.   
I was eager to start, even though I was way beyond curious about this world. The sooner I finished this test and training, the sooner I could go home. “Let’s just get started.” I was still incredibly angry about my situation in the first place. Couldn’t this woman see what she was doing was wrong?  
“Why are you so ready to start? I thought you would be overwhelming me with questions.”  
“I need to get home as soon as possible. My family is probably freaking out by now.”  
“Were you not informed that time passes much slower here? The distorters slow the time here. One year in your world would barely be a second here.”  
“No!” I was exasperated. “Nobody told me anything!”  
“Calm yourself,” the lady steadied, “I will answer anything you wish to ask me.”  
I was starting to calm down. The people here were a lot different than on Earth. “What’s your name?” I started out with.  
“Hope Creswell. Pleasure to meet you.”  
“Okay, can you explain what the different skills do?”  
“Sure. Let’s see, there are healers, changers distorters, charmers, elementals, makers, shadowers, destroyers, movers, and battlers with a few others. You know what a healer is right?” I nodded.  
“Changers can affect physical attributes of an object, such as transforming the color of a robe. It’s also the most common skill with maybe one in ten people possessing the power. Distorters can warp time and space. They can make a minute seem like an hour or something appear much farther away than it actually is. Charmers can hypnotize and control animals and people. Elementals control different elements, like fire and water. Makers can build and create with little effort. Destroyers can break or shatter almost any material. Movers can control objects without actually touching them. Battlers are prominent in combat. Finally, shadowers have power over dark magic such as cooling the temperature or driving people mad. It is by far the rarest of the skills. Governor Hutchens, who is here today to test you, is the last one in about eighty years.”  
“Can people have multiple skills?” I wondered, reclining in my chair.  
“Yes. The majority have at least one. Most don’t have more than two. A few have three. No one has more than four. Are you ready to begin?” She straightened up a little bit.  
“Yeah.” As soon as the words left my mouth, Hope pulled a short knife out of her robe pocket.   
“What are you…Ow?!?” She had cut open my arm and blood was seeping out. “What was that for?”  
“Sorry,” she apologized, “Better not to think about it.” She placed her thumb on the cut. Almost immediately the cut knit itself back together and the blood flowed back in. In almost ten seconds, the cut looked like normal skin.  
“How did you do that?” I wondered.  
“You don’t listen very well, do you? I’m a healer. And apparently…you’re not.”  
“What if I had been a healer?” I asked.  
“Smart,” she complimented. “We would have cleaned you up and bandaged you. Magic healing is not the only type of medical knowledge we wield.  
I noticed outside; many people had begun wandering beyond the door.  
She saw them as well, lining up neatly as they glimpsed her approach. She opened the door. “Where’s my changer?” A steady hand rose up from a common looking man. He strode in and continued to within arm’s reach of my chair.  
“You can start now,” I said, but he already seemed deep in concentration. He looked long and hard at my head and waved a steady hand over my hair. Hope began laughing.  
“What?” I looked around, but nothing seemed to have changed.  
“Your…Hair…Your hair is pink,” she said through choking giggles. Who knew that the people here had a sense of humor?  
“Well can you change it back?” I said, annoyed. But it was already done. Next, Hope herself tested me on distortion.  
“How far would you say the wall is?” She asked.  
“About ten feet.” I didn’t spot anything that had changed.  
“Looks like you’re a distorter,” she announced, “Congratulations.”  
The test continued. I wasn’t a charmer, I wasn’t a destroyer, I wasn’t any of the elementals, I wasn’t a battler, and I wasn’t a maker.  
A round woman came over next. She made awkward shoving motions to my stomach, but nothing happened.  
“He’s a mover,” she confirmed to Hope.  
Last we had the shadowing test. Governor Hutchens was a tall and bony with something almost dark in his demeanor. He stared at me with his brown eyes, sizing me up. Then he raised his hand, his fingers dancing. His brow furrowed, looking harder and harder. The cool feeling the had radiated off his expression was replaced with clear anguish.  
“I can’t. It’s not working.” He looked up at Hope, eyes wide. She shook her head in disbelief.  
A gasp came up from the healer. She pointed a shaky finger at me. “You’re a…You’re a shadower!” Then she fell over, fainting.

Chapter 4  
Distorted Reality  
After the initial shock everyone was experiencing, I was immediately taken to the King by my fellow shadower. Hope was taken to the infirmary.  
“Why is this such a big deal?” I asked Governor Hutchens. There was certainly something special about this particular skill, but I couldn’t place my finger on the official’s reason for such nervousness.  
“Err…” The man furrowed his brow and failed to answer my question. We soon approached a wooden door, where the governor knocked twice. After nearly a full minute, the King answered.  
“What is it?” The King was annoyed from the interruption.  
Governor Hutchens pushed me forward, “He’s a shadower.”  
“What?” The king screeched in mild disbelief.  
“Yes,” the governor confirmed robotically. I couldn’t decipher his stoically cryptic expression.  
“Go immediately and find Relaya. Erase any memory of today. As soon as you are done return to your island. Tell no one of what happened today,” The king instructed in a hurry. He shut the door on the governor and turned to me. The room around me was big with nothing but a small desk stacked with messy papers on the back wall to distinguish it from an empty area in a vacant house.  
“You cannot tell anyone what I’m about to inform you. Okay?” The King looked like a nervous bug, as his beady eyes couldn’t find a resting spot. His worried posture began to reflect on me, and I began to carry his apprehension. What was a shadower, and why was it so important I was one?   
“Yes,” I said slowly.  
I thought he was about to launch in to a needed explanation, but instead he continued to warn me. “You must be kept a secret from everyone. No one must know you’re a shadower.”  
“Why is it such a big deal?” I asked.  
“You don’t understand. There are about forty million people living on this island. One only immerges about every one- hundred years. People only know a small fraction of what they can do.”  
“So, they’re really powerful?” I pieced together.  
“They can change the fabric of our universe,” he said vaguely.  
“How do you know so much, if the practice is so secretive?” I asked in an almost accusative tone.  
“Because…” he paused, “I am one myself.” I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. Everything about this world was crazy.  
“Does anyone know that?”   
“No one except you. I believe Governor Hutchens and a few others suspect. But that secret does not leave this room. If people were to find out, then the war would be much, much worse for everyone. The rebellion would finally find its footing. Now that there are three of us, the uprising could be easily stopped if we work together, as long as the news you are one is kept to a minimum. Meanwhile, I will train you to harness this skill.” He thought for a moment, “Meet me here tomorrow at noon. Go now. It will look suspicious if you are here to long.”  
***  
Before I knew it, I was back in the training facility. I found my way back to the cavern without too much trouble but had to ask someone for directions once. When I arrived back, my tester, Hope, was already there. The modification of her memory seemed to have happened oddly quickly, but what did I know? I knew about as much about magic as I did calculus. At any rate, it was so weird to see Hope perfectly calm, not remembering anything about what had happened no more than twenty-five minutes ago.   
“Distortion is very difficult. The trick is to really believe in what you’re trying to distort. If you don’t really believe in what you want to distort nothing will happen,” she said. We were beginning a brief introduction in to my first skill.   
“Hope, what’s the king’s name?” I asked suddenly. She looked at me as if I had said something really obscure.   
“Nobody knows,” she answered suspiciously.  
“What do you mean?”  
“I mean, nobody knows,” she said, annoyed, “Nobody remembers anything from that long ago.”  
“But he’s part of a royal family. Surely some people knew him when he was a kid?” How would it be possible for entire nation to miss the name of their monarch?  
“The king is nearing his 150th birthday. There are few people who are old enough to remember him from a time when he still used his name. The ones that are, choose not to tell.”  
“How long do people live here?” I asked.   
“The most powerful people, often distorters, can live up to three hundred years, but that’s a stretch” That was me, I thought. “Most live about eighty or ninety.”  
“I brought a lizard to practice on,” Hope returned to the topic at hand by holding up a crystal-blue reptile that didn’t look like any lizard I’d seen before.  
“What do I have to do with it?” I didn’t think I could distort anything already. Did she expect me to warp time and space without any other instruction?  
“Imagine you are farther away from it than you really are, but focus on perspective from its angle,” Hope said as she caught the worried look on my face. “Then catch it. If you did it correctly, it should be easy.”  
“Any tips?’  
“Just dive in. You could spend a thousand years worrying about whether or not it’s going to work. Hands on experience is the best kind.”   
“Do you have to do any motions with your hands?” I’d seen a lot of the people who were testing me doing stuff like that. She sighed, impatient of my questions.  
“Just try it!” She exclaimed; voice raised slightly.  
“Okay,” I imagined I was the lizard and visualized the same room only with Hope and me much farther away. Nothing seemed to happen. I tried to grab the lizard, but it hopped away many moments before my fingers clasped at empty space.  
“That’s okay,” She assured me, “Nobody gets this on the first time. You need to feel the lizard. Reach inside it and find its mind. Then, focus all your effort on making you seem farther away.”  
I tried again. This time I really tried to be in unison with the lizard. As I strained my effort to distort the space, I began to feel the scaly reptile’s life force. I saw its mind: not as complicated as human’s but whizzing with simple thoughts. I placed false images in its brain, creating a reality where Hope and I were farther away. When I felt I’d finished up, I looked down at the lizard. Air around it shimmered, as if heat was causing my sight to ripple. I reached down and snatched it. It wasn’t till the last second it moved, but it was already too late. I closed my fingers around it and picked it up.  
Hope nodded, obviously pleased, “I’m impressed. It takes most people a few days to do anything. You already successfully distorted space on your second try. Not to mention distortion is one of the hardest skills to master,” I felt a surge of pride. Maybe I had some talents.  
“Try it again,” She ordered before I could get lost in an arrogant fantasy.  
I repeated the process, but this time it was much easier than the last. The lizard was back in my hands in less than five seconds.  
“Interesting,” Hope said, pursing her lips. “Try it on me,” she commanded.  
“Why?” It didn’t seem that it should be possible that I could do anything to her.  
“I want to see what you can do.” I complied and closed my eyes. This time I reached inside Hope. I could feel her thoughts, but I chose not to intrude on her privacy. I made the walls seem much closer, only about three feet in every direction. Once again, the air shimmered, and Hope gasped. She held up her hands, as if trying to push something apart.  
“What did you?” She shrieked. She twirled around, trying to find a way out of the imaginary, compact room. After a minute the hallucination seemed to subside, and she collapsed on the floor. I felt my connection to her waver as Hope slipped to the ground.  
“Never do that again.” She warned, still gasping for air.  
“Why’d you freak out so much?” I asked. A room with a diameter of three feet sure wasn’t big, but it was nothing to go nuts over. The illusion hadn’t lasted that long.  
I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I’m claustrophobic. I can’t handle enclosed spaces whatsoever.”  
“Oh. I didn’t mean to freak you out,” I apologized out of legitimate regret. The sheer look of terror on her face was something that couldn’t be acted out. “I didn’t even think it would work,” I added as the healer collected herself.  
“It’s okay,” She stretched, “It’s pretty amazing you could do that though. It is ridiculously hard to distort the minds of humans. I doubt if I tried something on you if I could shave a minute off an hour. You must be enormously powerful. I guess that happens a lot with people from Earth.” I wondered if she was stretching the truth a bit to inflate my happiness.  
The lesson continued. Hope tested me on a lot of different things with distorting distance. I showed high aptitude for everything. The only thing that I had trouble with was distorting outside the mind. Changing space in real life turned out to be a real challenge.  
“That’s something I really didn’t expect you to do. The only people who can are maybe a few governors and the king. In a few months though, who knows? You could surpass everyone with what you could do. I’m excited to see if you hold up in your other skills.” She commented happily. She was oddly elated to see how ‘advanced’ I was.  
By the time we were done, I was soaked in sweat. Hope explained that doing magic tapped in to my energy reserves.  
“Make sure not to over exhaust yourself. I don’t think you could seriously hurt yourself, but a warning is still in order. You’d have to try to distort an exceptionally large group of people, at least a hundred, to knock yourself out. But be careful. I’ve seen many experts get ambitious and injure themselves. Be safe and practice in your spare time, and I’ll see you back here in two days. Tomorrow I think you’re training with Alar in the late afternoon for moving.” I nodded. “At the moment, it’s time for lunch. I’ll show you the way to the dining room, if you want,” She offered.  
“Sure,” I wondered how accustomed I’d become to the palace before I was allowed to leave. Would I memorize these turns as they turned in to the only setting in my life?  
We went down the hall opposite to the direction of my bedroom, towards the room where the king had been. I realized how immense the palace was. Corridors stretched on and on bending around and around. Would I ever see the sunlight again?   
Eventually Hope led me to a large chamber with a table that stretched through about half the area. About fifty people sat around the table feasting on both familiar and new foods. On the left end of the table I saw the king. He gestured me to sit next to him. Beside him was Governor Hancock. Governor Hutchens was not present.  
When I had taken my seat, the king leaned over, “You remember to meet me tomorrow?” he asked, pronouncing every syllable as less than a whisper. I slowly nodded. Was it bad that he had taken such a profound interest in me? Surely as a leader of the Latuga Islands he had much to worry about besides a fourteen-year-old kid? Maybe he was trying to be extra nice to me to swing me over to his side. It was true I hadn’t yet made a decision on my political opinion of the islands. The king didn’t seem like a total tyrant but seemed to have made some bad decisions as ruler. But it wasn’t like I could oppose him, and the fact was that he was my best chance at a way home.  
“Is this the earthling?” An old woman with silver hair and gold earrings said. Her blue eyes looked me up and down inquisitively.  
“Yes,” Governor Hutchens replied. The woman glared at him and then looked at the king. I sensed that she wanted acknowledgment from royalty, yet the king was preoccupied with a white meat that looked a bit like turkey. He glanced up.  
“He arrived yesterday. He used to live in the United States with his parents and sister. He went on vacation in the Caribbean near one of the cave portals. We extracted him less than a week ago. Carter, this is lady Lumanine,” he leaned in again. “She knows you’re a shadower. So, does Governor Hancock. They’re part of my inner circle. Don’t hint anything about my secret.”   
I looked back at her and she slowly nodded her head. I found it a little eerie that the king knew so much about me. I hadn’t told him anything about where I was from or my family. Maybe reading minds was one of the powers of a shadower. Or maybe it was like when I was distorting Hope, and I saw some of her thoughts. Did that mean the king had been doing stuff to my mind already?   
“She will be teaching you about the history and geography of the Latuga Islands. You will be of little help to us if you don’t know the basics of our world.”  
“How big is this world? I mean, does it continue past the islands?” I had been wondering for quite some time.  
“Yes. As far as we can tell there are no continents, only large islands that spring up every once in a while. Nobody lives outside the archipelago, save a few cannibal races. Some dangerous creatures like dragons complicate trying to live outside this populated zone. Only the bravest explorers will go about thirty miles out before immediately turning back,” Lady Lumanine informed me. She smiled and turned to her food in an obvious gesture that she wanted to eat. I followed suit with a much etiquette as my roaring stomach would allow.  
Everyone throughout the meal was being ridiculously nice. I more than considered that the king had told them to soften me up, as I every piece of the conversation found its way to me. I was delivered small plates of extremely fancy foods which must have been delicacies. I felt surprised that all the amazing foods weren’t saved for dinner. Maybe the meals here had a different level of importance than on Earth, with lunch being the primary eating time. I finished up with an amazing brownie which was served with a little portion of chocolate mousse. A few minutes later, a wave of young boys and girls came in and swept away the empty plates. All the people sitting down began to clear out. I began to get up, but Lady Lumanine stopped me with a carefully placed foot. Five minutes passed and only Lady Lumanine, the king, Governor Hancock, and I remained.   
“Why am I here?” I asked as the last man nervously exited as he realized he was the only remaining diner outside our group.  
“We just thought if we were going to be working together to stop the war that we might as well get acquainted,” Lady Lumanine beamed at me. It was so weird to suddenly be treated like an adult. I kind of liked it. Back in Ohio, my parents always took care of everything. When people asked me questions, it was often my parents who answered for me. Now it felt like I helped decide what happened to the world.  
We played a card name I’d never learned before called Snazzle. It was pretty easy to pick up and I ended up winning by forty-five points. I couldn’t decide if they had let me win or it was just luck.  
“I should be in the war room,” Governor Hancock said, standing up abruptly as he finished up his drink.  
“You’ll help us win the war?” Lady Lumanine asked suddenly, before Governor Hancock could leave.  
“Yes,” I promised, surprising myself. “I pledge myself to your cause.” The words spilled out of my mouth before I had a chance to disregard them.  
“Why don’t you join Governor Hutchens and me in the war room? It would be a good chance for you to learn a bit more about this place.” The king suggested.  
“Okay,” I agreed.  
“Then follow me.”  
***  
After the long, tedious war council, and a small dinner, I went off to bed. It seemed I was right: to the islanders, lunch was the most important meal of the day. The dinner was hearty and yet unofficial. I felt my stomach rumble as I laid down. Now that I wasn’t in the presence of the king, I wasn’t as convinced to his side. I increasingly suspected that he was magically influencing me. If he was controlling my opinions, then he must be a charmer. I wondered what other skills the monarch had. I knew he was a shadower, and Hope had said that distorters tended to live longer. The king was a hundred and fifty years old so he must have been a distorter too. Then again, there was no way to tell.  
Lying awake in bed, I suddenly heard a piercing scream. It was unlike the kind you find in movies: it was a desperate soul, one that was entirely aware it was about to die. It continued, the disturbing sound vibrating past the pillow and rattling in to my brain. I sat up cautiously in my cot, rubbing my fingers together nervously. My teeth sunk in to my lip, blood seeping down my tongue as I bit down sharply. I felt the distinct taste of metallic copper.   
Somebody was being tortured. Somebody in the palace.

Chapter 5  
Fever  
I didn’t sleep very well that night. I rolled around in the bed, sharp pleas of terror cutting in to my eardrum. By the time morning had rolled around, the sounds had ceased. I felt like it was eight-o-clock, but it was hard to tell. I was really starting to wish I brought my phone, but my mom had told me to leave it back at the vacation house when we went spelunking. I made a mental note to ask someone if any technology was present at Latuga.  
I stretched and stood up. Last time Hope had been here to tell be where to go, but now I had no agenda. The palace was so big I wasn’t sure if I could find an appropriate way to waste my time so, I sat down in a chair. Before long, I heard a knock on the door. I opened it to reveal the King, standing impatiently in the hallway. Dark shadows were evident under his eyes, informing me that he hadn’t found much comfort in sleep. I shivered as I realized it was entirely possibly that the King could have been responsible for the cries that had rung out through the night.  
“Sorry,” he apologized, and it took me a moment to assure myself he wasn’t reading my thoughts. “Hope got sick this morning and I decided to pick you up myself. We thought you might be hungry after the long day yesterday, so I’m showing you to breakfast in the dining hall before all the decent food is gone.”  
“What’s wrong with Hope?” I asked. She seemed pretty nice and I was sincerely worried about her. Because of the healers, it seemed like the people here should get sick less often.  
“She caught an infection from a visiting trader. She has a pretty severe fever and a lot of stomach pains, but she will recover in time. You will have a lot of free time on your hands after breakfast so try and meet some people and stay on this floor. Don’t test your limits. You’ll be training with Alar this afternoon. I have someone to show you to the training facility. They’ll meet you a little before midday at your room.”  
We began walking together, side by side in tow. I had to admit the king wasn’t quite as menacing as he was built up to be in my mind. He just looked like a paranoid older man. It was hard to believe he was the kind to seriously hurt someone. I couldn’t see this man having legitimate sinister intentions.  
I realized I had been looking over at him, staring at his face, and tried to seem more general as I examined him. Yeah, I was just incredibly interested in that column’s architecture.   
I sensed something was wrong. We hadn’t been walking long, but he was broken out in a heavy sweat. His hand was placed in a protective way at his belly, as he was afraid someone was about to hit him. I could even see his feet shake ever so slightly every time he took a step.  
“Are you okay?” He shot a glance over at me, surprised I had said anything.  
“Yeah…Yeah…” His face drifted off in to empty space, “I just had a long night.” He stopped.  
“What?” Alarms were going off inside my head.  
“Nothing.” His reply seemed slow and hazy. He shook out of his fatigue and tried to host a conversation, “Don’t meet me today. I wanted to visit the hospital to make sure our best healer was up and running in case others would be plagued by the same pathogen.” Despite what the rest of his body now told me, which was trying to stand tall and confident, his eyes still refused to focus on anything besides the ceiling.  
When we reached the dining hall, I turned around to thank him. The King had already turned away, now at least twenty yards in the other direction.   
The long table was currently a bustling community of government officials, almost rivaling the numbers put up by lunch. I spotted lady Lumanine and sat down next to her.   
She nodded respectfully and spoke: “Your food is over there.” She pointed to a counter with a few dwindling plates of food on it. It was a stack of swirling bread, what was that called, calico? It was topped with chocolate and strawberry-looking sauces. I grabbed it and found the dish surprisingly light.  
I sat back down and found a six-pronged fork. The bread was extremely appetizing and surprisingly spongey. I eagerly took another bite but found it slightly less delicious. With each new mouthful, I was less and less hungry. It almost reminded me of eating too much icing. Too many licks and you don’t want anymore. Lady Lumanine sat straight and proper and hadn’t moved an inch since I arrived. After a long intense silence, she straightened up.  
“Did you hear?” she asked.  
“You’re going to have to be more specific,” I said bluntly, and then immediately regretted it. My mouth was my greatest asset sometimes, but it was also one of my biggest weaknesses. Back home, I had to bite my tongue at the teachers in school. This woman reminded me too much of my social studies teacher.  
She flinched, as if I had hit her. “A mysterious sickness has spread across Juma. Many of our healers have become infected overnight. They can’t heal each other so we are facing quite a dilemma.”  
“Oh yeah…” The topic caught my interest, “Hope got sick last night. She was supposed to pick me up this morning.”  
“Hope should be up and ready in no time, due to her ability to be affected by all skills. You shouldn’t dwell on her. You’d be amazed by the strength she possesses. Anyway, there is someone I would like you to meet.” She nodded to a girl that had apparently been watching us the whole time. The older teen was a few seats down and looked a tad bit older than Myra, about fifteen or sixteen. She had her curly brown hair up in a messy ponytail that helped to reveal a grim face covered in freckles. I wondered if she was bi-racial: it was hard to tell if she had naturally dark skin, or if she was rocking a golden tan.   
The girl moved closer to us, bringing nothing with her.  
“Where are you from?” She asked casually.  
“You wouldn’t know the place.”  
“Try me.” The girl smiled knowingly.  
“A remote island somewhere in the Caribbean, but I live in Columbus Ohio. You ever heard of that?” I said sarcastically.   
“Yeah actually. I’m from Colorado.”  
My jaw dropped. “You’re from Earth too?”  
“No, I’m from another Colorado, somewhere on Mars.”  
I smiled. That was the kind of humor that failed to be appreciated here.  
“It’s been so long since I talked from someone back home. Finally, someone who knows what a flip-phone is.”  
I raised an eyebrow. “Smart phones have dominated the markets for years.”  
“I sometimes almost forget I haven’t been there in a while. What’s the year now?”  
“2019”  
“I missed five years!” She exclaimed. For a second, she looked sad. Then confused and bewildered. She turned to lady Lumanine “Wait, you guys said I would have only missed about ten seconds. What gives?”   
“I would suspect it’s because Carter came in to our world, not out. Your version would still exist if you were to come back. So would Carter’s. Your universes fit on top of each other, existing the same in contrasting times.”  
“So, you were what, like ten, when you came?” I asked.  
“I was fifteen.” She paused. “I’m a tad older than I look. I think I’m actually twenty-one, but I stopped counting years ago. It doesn’t feel like more than a year has passed.”  
“So, you’re a distorter?” I guessed.  
“Yeah-,”  
“And an awful good one too.” Lady Lumanine interrupted. Lady Lumanine struck me as the kind of person that acted completely different depending on who she was talking too. She seemed much looser than last night.  
The girl blushed. “I heard you had some potential too. By the way, I’m Relaya.”  
I felt like I’d heard that name before.   
“I wanted to show you some-” She was interrupted by a loud commotion on the other end of the table. A man sat hacking in to his plate, spewing blood. The liquid sprayed on to glasses and plates, highlighting off of the polished surfaces and reflecting horrifically back in to my eyes. He stopped for a second, and then coughed up a large glob of something solid, probably an organ. The sight was revolting, yet oddly and terrifyingly mesmerizing. I jumped up in unison with Relaya. I was repulsed and yet fascinated, feeling like I was watching an overly gory horror movie.  
“The sickness spread…” Lady Lumanine said. Her eyes looked like daggers, shooting right at Relaya. “Go to Carter’s room. You should be safe there. Carter, still report to Alar, but don’t touch anyone. If either of you develop any symptoms, go immediately to the hospital. Relaya, you know the way.”  
She got up calmly and walked away. The sick man at the table had fallen out of his seat, motionless on the floor. He was covered in a black fluid, even darker than crimson blood.  
“He’s dead.” Relaya confirmed. “C’mon,” she tugged my arm along, and I followed her out the way I had come. I was shocked in to a hammering paralysis, almost unable to move. We could not get sick from this disease. Relaya pulled her white robe to her mouth.  
“We don’t know if the sickness spreads through touch or if it is airborne. I encourage you to do the same.” She explained.  
“Ok.” I stopped in my tracks.   
“What happened?” Relaya asked, worried.  
“The king is sick.” I said, remembering our talk on the way to breakfast. I wasn’t sure whether to be happy my possible adversary was out of action, or sad for the horrible things that must be happening to him.  
“How do you know?” She asked.  
“He was acting dazed and confused this morning, almost like he had a fever. “  
She bit her lip. “Then tonight is the perfect night to escape.” It seemed like such a random endeavor. After all, I had just met her.  
“What? Why would you want to? Helping the king is our best chance of getting home.”  
“No, it’s not. I know every corner of Juma. On the other side of the island, there’s a system of caves. There’s a portal to Earth in one of them. We can take it home right now.” She scowled, “Let’s talk more at your place. I’m afraid someone might be listening.”  
We walked silently through the halls. When we made it to my room she hurried in and locked the door behind us.  
“I still don’t understand,” I said. “Why don’t we just do what they want? It’s much less risky.”  
“I thought that too in the beginning. They treated me nicely, and I believed that they were good. But then the years went by, and I realized they weren’t letting me go. So, I started to rebel, and they tortured me. They took my sister from our world and killed her.” Suddenly she was angry. “They thought they broke me, but they only made the match stronger. I would kill every last one of them to get my family back. Now everyone acts likes everything’s normal, and they never did anything to me. But they can’t hide what really happened. I’m breaking out somehow, with or without you.” A tear dripped down her cheek.  
“Sorry,” I apologized, but that didn’t begin to cover it. “I’ll do anything I can to help you break out. I don’t want them killing my family.” I had no idea the methods of the government could be that drastic. I had assumed the torture happening on the night previous had been for a punishable offense.  
“That’s okay,” She wiped her chin.  
“How did you end up here, anyway?” I asked, trying to change the heavy subject.  
“I went to visit Mammoth cave with my family, and I was exploring with my sister. Suddenly, she wasn’t with me anymore. I was alone in the dark when someone grabbed me. Before I knew it, I was thrown in the portal, and I passed out. When I woke up, I was here. Funny, it seems like it wasn’t that long ago.”  
“I can’t imagine spending eight years here,” I commented. Being away from my home for that amount of time would surely drive me crazy. In that case, I imagined that the main contacts for the rest of my life would be the two-faced lady Lumanine and the paranoid King. How had Relaya managed to stay sane?  
“That’s why I want to send you home immediately. I don’t want you to have the same life I did.” I was eerily reminded of Myra’s worry on the beach and felt a surge of affection toward the older teen.  
“Thanks,” I allowed myself to smile.  
“It’s so interesting to talk to someone that sympathizes with me. I was cut off from technology for so long.” She looked sad, “Now that someone else is here, it makes me feel bad for all the terrible things I’ve done.”  
“To who?”  
“The rebels, mostly. I’ve been on a lot of top-secret missions, giving away their position. I’ve probably killed a lot of people indirectly.” She was on the brink of crying again, but her voice was oddly stoic.  
“It’s not your fault. If you hadn’t done what they said, they would have killed the rest of your family, and maybe even you.” I moved closer and put an arm on her shoulder. I felt kind of awkward, but she didn’t seem to mind.  
“What’s your story, anyway?” She scooted forward in her chair, resting her head on her palm. She was still obviously in great sorrow, but she was trying to fight it.  
“About three weeks ago, my parents took me and my sister to-,”  
“You’ll want to leave before he gets to her,” she interrupted, “They are much more vicious than you think.” Relaya was right: however much I got mad at Myra; I didn’t want her to die.  
“Ok… So, they took us to the Caribbean. I met someone called the receiver who-,”  
“Never heard of her.” Relaya said, and then blushed. “Sorry. I keep doing that, don’t I?”  
I rolled my eyes and continued, “The receiver left a necklace with the words cave ruins on it. The next day my mom took us caving and I fell in a hole.” She gave me a look, and I giggled.  
“You fell in a hole?” She stifled a laugh.  
“Yes, don’t be so judgey. I found some cave ruins and then I was kidnapped and taken here.”  
“I know the rest,” She said.  
“So, you have been watching me,” I teased.  
“More like keeping an eye on you. I was the one who erased Hope’s memory.” Then I remembered where I had heard her name before. Back when the king had first learned I was a shadower, the king had told Governor Hutchens to fetch Relaya and help remove memory of the episode. So Relaya must have known I was a shadower.  
“So, you know I’m a shadower?” I asked casually.  
She went bug-eyed. “No!”  
“Oh…I assumed you knew.” That might have just been my biggest mistake of the day.  
“I’m messing with you. I knew.” I laughed and punched her arm. I really missed that here. Talking like a normal person, loose, not always formal like the governors tried to be here. I thought of Hope’s terrible sense of humor, like when she was laughing at my pink hair.  
“I hate you.” I said, obviously not meaning it. “What skills do you have?” I wondered.  
“I’m a charmer,” she listed, “that’s how I can erase someone’s memory. I’m a battler. And I’m a destroyer.”  
“Fits your personality.” I joked. She inhaled and sighed.  
“I guess I had that one coming.”  
We talked more, getting to know each other. She wanted to know everything she missed on Earth. We also planned the details of our escape, including the location and time. I still couldn’t comprehend what it would be like in her shoes, killing for a cause you didn’t even care about. Other than that, I really liked her, and it seemed like she would make a great friend. She talked a lot more like she was fourteen than twenty-one, so she was easily relatable, and I found myself spilling secrets. I even slipped up and told her the king was a shadower, but she said she had guessed a long time ago.  
After a few hours, she stopped herself. “I should probably go.”  
“Should I go to lunch?” I asked.  
“No,” she advised, “You shouldn't risk contamination. Just come immediately back here when you’re done with training, unless you need something to help us escape.”  
“Okay,” I promised.  
“Remember, at midnight tonight, rendezvous at the dining hall. Ask Lady Lumanine for a map if you think you can’t find it. Good luck.”  
“Hey wait…”  
“What?” She asked.  
“Where’s the training facility?”  
“There’s actually three, but I assume you’re going to A3?”  
“I don’t know, probably.” I really needed to find a map.  
“Down the hall, turn right at the end, second door on your left. Got that?”  
I paused, repeating the directions in my head. “Got it.” We stepped out of the room and split in opposite directions.  
The palace seemed so dim and alone. As always, no one moved around the halls, but somehow it seemed more desolate than normal.   
I was almost to the facility when I came across a dead woman. Flies buzzed around her, and she was also covered in the dark fluid that marked her for the disease. I steered far clear of the area. I had a feeling if I got sick, I wouldn’t survive, even with the help of the healers. This woman obviously hadn’t.   
I began to run. I came across another dead corpse, the body so mangled I couldn’t tell if it was male or female. Its torso suddenly shook violently, and I jumped twenty feet forward in surprised shock. I sprinted in to the training facility, running right in to a quizzical man.  
“You are Carter?” He asked.  
“Yeah,” I said as my breathing returned to normal.  
“Come with me.” He ordered. “My name is Alar,” He added as we crossed the main cavern.  
We went in to one of the side rooms. He closed the steel door behind us, and the room was flooded with darkness. He lit a candle.  
“You should have stayed in your room,” he said, referring to the outbreak.  
“Sorry, I was told to come here from Lady Lumanine,” I apologized. I hoped the sickness wouldn’t mess up my escape plan with Relaya.   
I studied Alar, trying to decode his cryptic body language. He had his neck hung low; his expression tired. He coughed, and a terrible feeling crept up my spine.  
“Hold on, you’re sick.” I accused, backing away to the door.  
“It was just a cough.” He shook his head worryingly. His body spasmed and he stumbled toward me, shaking his head. His muscled strained from the effort to keep himself upright. Alar then collapsed on me, his full weight on my chest.  
I pushed him away and recoiled. I was probably sick now too. I needed to find the hospital.  
He came forward again, screaming. His mind was gone, like he had gone completely insane. I watched his eyes frantically scan the room, failing to focus on anything tangible. Then Alar’s screaming was silenced: he had damaged his vocal cords beyond repair. He paused for a second and I thought the wild tantrum was over, before he leaned over and threw up one of his lungs right on my shoulder. 

Chapter Six  
Hospital  
I shrieked and threw the now limp body off me. I pried open the door and ran out of the facility. I had no idea how much time I had before I started experiencing symptoms. I had no idea where the hospital was, so I needed to find someone and ask for directions.  
I slowed my pace, looking around. Eventually I found a servant who was wandering around, looking for some nobleman. He refused to come within five feet of me but told me the hospital was on the far side of the corridor.  
I looked over, finding the hall, which looked almost a mile away. I wasn’t sure if I could make it in time.  
I ran as fast as I could in its direction, finding I didn’t have any energy left. My body was hot and steamy. A bead of sweat formed on my face, which I tried to wipe off. I didn’t even have enough will power to lift my hand and send it away.  
I would never make it in time. I would just become another dead body on the ground.   
I had only one last option. I was a distorter, so maybe I could shorten the distance between me and the hospital. It would suck up every last ounce of my energy, but I had no other choice. I had to try, or I would certainly die.  
I was still at least three-quarters of a mile away. I imagined myself at the hospital, receiving treatment for the plague. I told myself I was already there, and I begin to feel a ripple. It was like being in water, and having a giant wave move you along.  
Space didn’t exist here. There was only me, and the hospital.   
Then I was there. My efforts had worked. I was just feet away from the stone archway, about to enter the place I needed most.   
I hacked out some blood, stumbling forward. I collapsed on the cool floor.  
“I…I’m sick…” I pronounced dramatically and passed out.  
***  
I felt like I was falling. There was noise around me, voices, but I couldn’t make out the words. I had nothing left in me. I did not have the strength to move. Everything was a blur. Black, white, silver, red. It all swirled together.  
Then there was a sharp jolt, and something entered my leg. I felt no pain, even though I should have been screaming.  
I wanted to die.  
Right then and there. It would have been better than going on.  
Slowly, my sight became focused. I saw the blood on my white robe, probably permanently staining it. People, I assumed they were healers, moved around me. They were all wearing arm-bands woven with red and yellow.   
A healer, a woman, reached up and rubbed a cool, mint smelling ointment on my neck. My hands flew up to the area, feeling around. There was a giant bubble of swelled skin. The affected area felt full of liquid, like it would pop at any moment.  
The healer shooed my hand away.  
“Don’t pick,” she scolded. “It will only make it worse.”  
“S…ss…sorry,” I apologized sheepishly. My mouth had trouble forming the words, like it was in another language.  
I tried to sit up, but the healer pushed me back down.  
“I wouldn’t try that for a while.” She had glossy black hair and a sparingly freckled face. The face looked genuinely kind, like she really wanted me to get better.  
“W…won’t you get sick by t…touching me?” I inquired. I was quickly recovering. The jab in my leg must have been a medicine or cure or something, because I was bouncing back.  
“No, these bands protect us from disease.” She held out her arm, giving me a clear view of a bracelet. I hadn’t seen it before, and it had a symbol of a snake on it. The snake was in a striking position, ready to hunt its prey.  
“W…why doesn’t everyone wear them?” I wheezed in to my shoulder.  
“They are awfully expensive to make. They require the juice of the ragnok fruit, which is found on a very distant island, but it can only be extracted along with the efforts of many healers. Besides, they only last a few hours-but they are essential at this time.” She seemed intelligent, so I figured I could press farther.  
“It’s a miracle you made it here. You must have used up all your energy. You came so suddenly, like you had teleported here.” I felt like I shouldn’t mention that I had distorted actual space. Hope had said that it was extremely difficult, and I didn’t want to draw attention to myself.  
“So, the sickness passes through touch?” Once I asked a bunch of normal questions, she probably wouldn’t think twice about a more prying one.  
“We don’t have sufficient evidence to prove it, but yes, we believe it passes through touch.”  
Then I thought about the king. He had been sick this morning. If he hadn't gone to the hospital, then he might be dead. Something about that triggered a response inside me. Crap.   
Relaya. She didn’t know. I would in no way be out of the hospital in time to find her and tell her I had gotten sick before she had left her room.  
“What time is it?” I questioned.  
“We don’t really keep time here, save the sundial at the center of the palace. My guess is it’s about a half-hour after midnight.”  
Crap. Crap, crap, crap. She was probably at the dining hall, waiting for me. Or maybe she had left without me. Either way, I was in major trouble.   
“Did anyone come by here, looking for me?” I asked.  
“Well the king did come by here an hour ago; he was just inspecting the condition of things, but he took an interest in you.” So, he had recovered. Or maybe he had never been sick.  
“That’s great…” I mumbled. I sat up, despite the pain it caused me.  
“Can I leave?” I asked, which scored a very judging look on the healer’s face.  
“Are you crazy? First, we have to rid you of all disease and clean you up. We can’t risk this plague spreading more. And you’re nowhere near strong enough to get up, let alone walk to your room.”  
“Fine!” I exclaimed grumpily.  
“Looks like you got yourself sick.” I looked over to find Relaya walking toward me. She raised her eyebrows, looking at me like I had screwed up everything, which I had. She wore a serpentine armband, meaning she was safe to be around me.  
“Relaya!” I said happily. “How did you know I was here?” Even though I had just met her this morning, I felt like I had known her for a month. She reminded me of a comfort blanket, some semblance of Earth to know I wasn’t just dreaming this whole thing up.  
“I didn’t,” she explained, “I guessed.” She couldn’t say it aloud, but I assumed she had realized I wasn’t coming, and the only reason could have been I was sick.   
She gave me a hug, which surprised me, simultaneously pressing something in my hand. It felt like paper, so I assumed it was a note.  
“Wait till later to open it,” She whispered, so quiet I could barely make out the sound.  
“Careful,” the healer warned, “Some disease may linger on his body. The pathogen can get on your clothing.”  
“So, I’ll see you when you’re out, right?” Relaya stared at me, a hint of a smile on her face.  
“Sure.”  
“See you around then.” She turned back and left. The visit felt brief, even though I knew she had only come to give me the note.  
I saw her leave through the stone archway, bringing my attention to my surroundings. There were many other beds. Some held dead bodies, some living. Almost all had blood on them. The healers mobbed around, applying strange, yellow colored ointments, giving liquid medicine, and healing cuts.   
I saw one healer place his hands on one of the infected. He moved it around the body, feeling it. Then he raised his hands up, as if drawing something out. Black liquid came out of the infected mouth, which the healer turned in to a ball and threw it in to a giant, silver funnel on the far side of the room. The funnel looked big enough to swallow a person. Maybe it was used to dispose of the cadavers.  
The healer followed my gaze. “They were drawing out the disease. It removes most of the sickness. But people still need to be cared for afterwards,” She emphasized and stopped me from protesting my healthiness.  
I kept looking around the room, trying to find people I knew. That’s when I spied her. There was no movement, just red liquid everywhere. The sight was terrifying, the first dead person I had ever known. There on a bloody cot was Hope Creswell’s lifeless body. 

  
Chapter Seven  
Sabotage  
“Is that Hope?” The unexpected feeling of sadness pulsed through my body. I had liked her, even though I had only known her for a short while. Maybe it was the reality of what was happening. Maybe it was because her fate was what had nearly happened to me.  
“Yes.” The healer said reluctantly. “Her condition took a turn for the worst. We expected a speedy recover, but we couldn’t stop what happened. She died very violently a few hours ago. Quite an inconvenience, we needed our best healer to help out around here.” Her face was apathetic. I was nearly crying. She discarded Hope as nothing more than an inconvenience. How could she not at least feel bad for the dead woman? Surely the healer had known her much longer than I had.  
“Her body will be burned soon,” she commented, but I really wasn’t listening, “You are welcome to attend.”  
Then I realized. How had I reacted to the people in hallways? What about Alar? They were people too, just people I hadn’t met. Was I so inconsiderate to them, as the healer was now doing to Hope? A tear leaked down my cheek. I had a tendency to cry a lot and realized I had been holding it in for a few days.  
There were so many things happening. The torture going on in the palace. The king’s hidden antics. Relaya’s failed escape plan. Hope.  
They all came together, affecting me all at once. It was like Hope had represented just that, persevering for better times. And now she was about to go up in flames.  
The healer cleaned me up, wiping the blood off my face. My hands shot up to the swelling skin on my neck, but I found it was no longer quite as raw. There seemed to only be a slight irritation. I wondered if it would scar.  
The woman sent me to a side room where I changed out my old robe in to a new one. I put the red one in a basket filled with other gored clothes. I was betting it would be burned along with the dead bodies.  
After about an hour more of rest and remediation, she finally let me go, on account that the hospital was steadily filling up to max capacity. I shot out of there like a bullet, running down the hallways where I could be safe from spying eyes.   
I tore open the note, reading it in the flickering torchlight.

So, we plan for three hours and you get sick! I was so freaking worried about you! When you weren’t there, I either thought you were dead, or someone tipped the king off. It’s okay though. It’s not like you could have done anything about it. I saw Alar’s body and assumed you were at the hospital. We can still escape; same time tomorrow. I’ll ask to pick you up in the morning so we can talk more then. Don’t do anything stupid.

-Relaya   
(P.S. I’m glad you’re not dead.)

So, I hadn’t screwed up too much. We could still get away. The best thing I could do now was get a good night’s sleep. I threw the note away.  
I came back to my room, using the keys to open the door. I jumped on the bed, almost immediately falling asleep.

I was surprised to find myself dreaming, which I hadn’t done in months, even before I came here. They were all dark, disturbing, thoughts and visions. First, I saw Relaya, alone in a sad, dark, room. She looked right at me, tears flooding down her face. A figure approached from behind, carrying an axe. The shadow raised the weapon, high in the air above his head. I cried out, but no one heard my screams. The axe fell, thudding to a stop at Relaya’s head.  
The dream changed.  
My family was tied up, being held to knife-point. Their expressions were hopeless, their movement absent. I watched each of them being tortured: my sister being drowned, my dad being cut in to pieces, my mom being left alone in a flawlessly smooth hole to battle certain death. I tried to pull her up, but every time I attempted it, the hole became deeper. Then the bodies were collected, laid out so that they were bowing down before an unknown person.  
I saw Hope, the smiling, professional, version of herself, standing directly in front of me. Then a flame appeared on her foot. It crept along her body, not stopping till it had reached her still happy face. It wasn’t long before she was a pile of ashes, blowing away in the wind.

I awoke with a start, drenched in a pile of sweat. The experiences here were changing me, for better or worse. I’d seen so much death in my past three days I’ve been here. When I came back, would I ever be the same again?  
Then I realized Relaya was also in the room, watching me.  
“Oh my god.” I reddened, “You were watching me sleep?”  
“Ughh,” she said in disgust, “Why do you have to make everything weird?”  
“I got your note,” I acknowledged.  
“Good. I’m glad I was allowed to come here. My room was being watched.”  
“Really? How did you know?” I glanced at the door, worried someone was listening to the conversation.  
“Don’t worry, they’re not here. They stood outside my door, all last night. I made a hole in the wall a few years ago, so I could see them sitting outside. They didn’t leave until morning.”  
“So, it’s not morning anymore?” I asked.  
“You overslept, it’s about eleven.”  
“Sorry,” I said, “I wasn’t even back here till about two in the morning, not to mention the fact I was sick with a deadly disease.”  
“The plague seems to come fast, either kill you, or leave as fast as it comes. It began to diminish in the central palace this morning, but it rippled to some of the soldiers. We need to leave tonight.”  
“Ok.” I nodded. “We’ll do it.”  
“I’m really worried someone might know. After last night you kind of made me paranoid.” She shifted her lips, thinking.  
“We’ll be fine,” I assured her. “Nobody saw us in the hallways talking. No one could know. We’ll be gone before someone misses us.”  
“Okay, sorry.” She ran a finger through her silky hair, sighing.  
“Where am I going this morning?”  
“Dining hall for breakfast, but I can’t go. I have some sort of training with the king.” So, he worked with Relaya too.  
“Do they treat you overly nice too?” I asked. “Like they’re warming up to you to get you to do something?”  
“They did more at first. Then there was the torture phase, where I barely talked at all. Afterwards they didn’t really have to act like they were treating me nice, because they knew that I knew that if I didn’t do exactly what they said, then they would do bad things again. Look, I still have some scars.” She held out her left arm, which had deep gashes near her elbow.  
“They really don’t seem like the people to do that.” I commented.  
“They are. Believe it. These are the bad guys and I’m not going to help them anymore.”  
“Good decision.”  
“Yeah…” She got up, “Well I’ll see you later, hopefully at around midnight.” She smiled at me, which comforted me and told me everything was going to be okay.  
She left quickly, softly closing the door. After a few minutes, I decided it was time to go.   
I found my way to the dining hall without an escort fine and found that there weren’t many people left. I grabbed some normal looking pancakes, and since there weren’t many people left, sat with a more causal looking man, making sure I was far from the end of the table where the plague victim had died. It looked clean, but it was kind of disgusting to sit where someone had died.  
“Hey,” the loose man nodded, “Carter, right?”  
“Yeah. You are?”  
“Just an honest business man coming to look for trade.”  
“Where are you from?” I asked, trying to start up a conversation. I was a very social person once I got used to an environment. It was that initial wall I encountered in a new situation that would catch me off guard. I flashed back to a memory of my first day at Ester Prep, before I had Troy. I had no idea where to sit, and everyone else had already established their friend groups. For the first week I ended up sitting alone.  
“The Air Stone islands. They're not too far from here. I founded a mining business there, so I’ve been trying to strike up deals with the governors here. They’re real suckers for precious metals.” He smiled, and I smiled back.  
“Do you enjoy it here?” he asked.  
“Yeah…” I said. I think he correctly interpreted what I meant. His eyes twinkled; his eyebrows raised. His eyes floated over my left side.  
Then he suddenly jumped up, as if the conversation was making him uncomfortable. Something had scared him.  
“I’ve got to go,” he apologized, speeding away. I looked over my shoulder and saw Lady Lumanine standing at the archway with a terse expression.  
The man was disappearing in to a corridor as I turned back around. That was brief.  
***  
It was an awfully long day. My two lessons (distortion and geography), seemed completely pointless. It was like being in school on the last day of school. Hope had been replaced, by another, much more boring woman. By the time the class ended, I still couldn’t remember her name.  
Lady Lumanine reluctantly gave me a map of Juma, which was mostly the palace, a small jungle, and a group of caves, where the portals must be. The palace was a mile wide in every direction, and about half a mile from top to bottom. About a fourth of the palace was below ground. Sure enough, at the center, was a giant sundial. I marked my room and found the training facility. A few hundred feet up was an exit. I assumed we would escape through there.  
By the time it was late, I was really ready to leave. I lay in bed, wide awake. In a few hours I would be back in the Caribbean.  
When I thought it was about eleven-thirty, I went out. I was glad that the hallways were completely empty.  
I tiptoed along, silently coming to the dining room in about five minutes.  
Relaya wasn’t there yet, so I sat down against the entrance. I felt the opposite of her. It felt like I had been here for years. For her it had felt like so little time had passed.  
It wasn’t long when I heard a faint windy sound. I blinked and opened my eyes. Relaya was whizzing down the hall. She grabbed my hand, and together we sprinted forward.  
“What is it?” Relaya’s face was stark white.  
“They know. We’ve got to run.”  
“What, how?” There was always something in the way of me getting away.  
“I don’t know. I was on my way here when they started chasing me. They’ve been acting suspicious all day…” She screamed and tripped to the ground.  
“What?”   
“He’s hurting me. The king. It’s a connection he made us have to make me obey him. I thought I got rid of it. It only stops if I get far enough away, so he must be close.” She explained to me through gritted teeth.  
“Can you walk?”  
“Not a chance. They’ll get me, no matter what I do. He could kill me if I wanted. But you can still go.”  
“I can’t leave you.”  
“Shut up and go. If you stay any longer, you’ll get captured too. It’s just up the stairs.”  
A squad of tightly dressed people zoomed in to the area.  
“The noble guards.” Relaya said, “Go now!”  
“But…”  
“Go!” She shrieked.  
I started moving up the stairs. I took one last look behind me. Relaya lay down, giving me a sad smile. The squad moved in around her, and she disappeared among them. I wondered how long before that was me.

Chapter Eight  
Noah  
I dashed up the stairs without looking back. Relaya was gone, and there would be almost no way to get her back. I was almost certain of that. At least not alone.  
The steps continued forever, stretching for what seemed like infinity. I didn’t know where to go after I escaped the palace. I’d left the map back at my room, and I couldn’t recall the exact directions back to the portal.  
My pace slowed as I reasoned I was nearly there. I pulled myself up the final length, taking heavy breaths. I saw the exit, a set of giant brass doors, but there was a problem. The doorway was completely blocked by guards. I wouldn’t be getting out that way.   
I had three options: fight my way out, go back down the stairs, or run to the left, the opposite way of the exit. I couldn’t fight: their numbers would definitely overwhelm me. I couldn’t go back down the stairs: a battalion of people were rushing up it. My only chance was to go to the left and hope there was another way out.  
I streaked pass my approaching enemies, sprinting tightly around the corner and running right smack in to someone.  
“Ah!” He scrambled back, jumping up and scrambling away. The boy looked about fourteen and wore a standard robe differentiated only by the fact it was dark black.  
“Wait!” I called. He was obviously out of place in the palace, and perhaps he had different allegiances then my captors.   
He glanced back; his eyes wide. “You’re the vacationer,” he realized.  
“Not how I would describe myself, but yeah,” I said.  
“I’m assuming you want to get out?” he asked, as I nodded frantically. “Come with me,” he ordered.  
I ran with him. “I’m Noah,” he said. I glanced quickly at his face. He had short brown hair and a tired expression. “I don’t know how the noble guard knew I was here, but I doubt they know how I got in.”  
“I don’t think they were looking for you,” I said between breaths. I was on the last reserves of my energy.  
“Wha…Nevermind, I’ll ask later.” We flew down another set of stairs. Noah stopped me, feeling at a spot on the wall. He found a small handhold and pulled on it. The wall seemed to fold in out itself, making a tunnel appear.  
“Wait,” I grabbed Noah’s hand. “I left someone back there. We need to go back and get her.”  
He shook his head. “It’s too late. If we don’t leave now, we don’t leave at all.” In the distance, we began to hear the march of the guards. Reluctantly, I followed Noah in to the tunnel.   
He found another handhold, the entrance closing behind him.  
“Who are you?” I asked, stepping over a large rock.  
“Like I said, I’m Noah. I’m part of the rebels. I’ve lived at their base for about a year with my brother. Before that I was a slave at Kiera Island. But of course, you probably don’t know what that is.” I shook my head. “Small Island, no governor. It’s also known as Temple Island. It’s run by religious priests and sages who believe in sacrifice to stop what they think is an incoming apocalypse. I escaped with my brother when I was twelve. That’s basically my life story.”  
“Why were you here?”  
“A scouting mission for the rebels. The in-,” He stopped himself mid-sentence.  
“Can we trust you?” He asked suspiciously.  
“Of course. I would never dream of willingly helping them.” I said.  
I was almost surprised when the teen answered; he had no reason to trust me. “Okay. I was scouting for the invasion.”  
“So you built this tunnel to get in and out of the palace?”  
“No, it’s existed here for years. We just recently found out about it,” he said.  
“Where does it lead?”  
“To a cave near the shoreline. I have a small boat there.” Wait a second, cave. That was where the portals were. As in the way home.  
I batted a cobweb away, “Is that anywhere near the cave portals?”  
“No, and there’s no way you’d make it there. When they caught wind of something wrong, they probably posted more guards at the portals. You’ll have to try another day.” His face was slightly apologetic, at least more so than everyone else on this screwy island chain.  
“So where are you taking me?” It came out slightly ruder than I intended. I was just completely done with this place. The only reason to stay was to bust Relaya out.   
“To the rebel base. You can wait it out there, for a while. Then you can go back home.” The tunnel began to widen, opening in to a cavern. The sand and sea split the cave evenly. On the shallows, there was a small boat, about twenty feet long and three feet wide. At the front of the boat was a small compartment that probably held supplies. Other than that, the boat was empty.  
He stepped in the boat, “Ready?” He asked.  
“How are you going to move the boat? You don’t have any oars, or a sail.”  
He stared at me like I was an alien, which, in a sense, I was. “What’s an oar?”  
“You know, like the thing you paddle with. How you steer a boat…” He smiled teasingly, shaking his head.  
“Things are strange in your world. Just get in the boat.”  
I sat down on one of the boats ledges uncertainly. Noah stood up. Then he was swinging his arms, still keeping his balance.  
“What are you doing?” But my question was answered before I finished. The boat was moving. He was using the water to sail.  
“So you can control water?” I raised my voice over the roaring ocean. I searched my head; he was a water elemantalist.  
“Took you long enough to figure it out. Anyway, you should rest, it’s late.”  
“How am I supposed to sleep with you going, at like, fifty miles per hour?”  
“Don’t know what that means, but I’m assuming you mean fast? I’ll slow down in a bit.” I curled up on the floor in an awkward little ball.  
Relaya. I could have saved her, but I hadn’t even tried. If I had gone back, I would have at least had a shot. No. A voice reasoned with me. There was nothing I could have done. I would have been captured too. Regardless, one thing was clear. If I did nothing soon, two things could happen. Either she would be tortured past her breaking point until nothing, but hatred and destruction was left, or, more likely, she would be killed.

Part Two

The Rebels

Chapter Nine  
Nadine  
Miraculously, I fell asleep. Through churning waves and the constant roar of the ocean, I was snoring away. After what must have been quite a few hours, Noah poked me lightly in order to wake me up. The sun was just rising in the distance, morning mist blanketing the area. Dewey fog spread around water, shrouding line of sight from beyond a few hundred feet.  
“Hey,” he said, grinning. I hadn’t quite had a chance to study his face, which owned a pair of curious green eyes and a wave of brown hair brushed carelessly to one side. He had an extremely friendly expression, as if inviting me to openly talk to him.  
I realized we had slowed down considerably, but we did not yet seem to be stopping at a destination. Behind us, a trail of disturbed water showed the boat’s previous path. White water foamed up as we continued along in a neat path.  
“Why have we stopped?” I asked, yawning and sitting up. Noah was staring off in to the distance now, still gently rotating his arms in order to keep us sailing. His relaxed demeanor calmed me, like listening to soothing music. It worked in conjunction to the background, and I felt myself slipping away, as if in a dream.  
“We need to make a quick stop before we make it to the base. Just a few errands for the rebels. The city is called Nadine, part of Hogula. The people there are mostly traders and should give us no trouble. However, the city is under tight government control, so we need to keep low profiles. Can you handle picking something up for me?”  
“Sure,” I said, “No problem. What do you need me to do?”  
“Just pick up a live cobra and some healing sand. Oh and find some candy from the market,” he rattled off the list like they were completely normal grocery items.  
“Hold on,” Noah stopped the boat and fished through the compartment. After some time, he pulled out a map. The map seemed to be folded several times, giving me the thought it was large. It struck me that this could be the cartography for all of the Latuga Islands.  
Noah unfolded the paper a few times, looking for the right place. When he seemed to have found it, he spread the mini atlas across the boat. In front of me, I saw a small island with a large town near the beach. Several other smaller outposts littered the area. A short isle allowed safe passage to the trading city. The map was large enough to see roads etched on the map, but I had to squint in order to see them.  
“I will drop you off on the right side of the town. You would then continue down this road and turn on your second left. You will see a shop supplying reptiles.” He handed me a bag of different colored stone pebbles, which I assumed was money.  
“Ask for Erin and tell her that Noah sent you. She knows about our cause and will not raise unwanted questions. Give her two of the yellow bits in exchange for a cobra.”  
“What do you even need a cobra for?” I asked. It seemed like I misunderstood a lot of things here, so I was interested to see why the rebels needed a highly venomous snake.  
“It’s for the charmers,” he explained. “No use being able to control dangerous animals when there are none around.” He was slightly impatient, so I wondered if most of what he had told me was common knowledge.  
Noah laid a finger on the map, moving his finger down a long alley next to where I would pick up the serpent. His finger slowed to a stop halfway down.  
“You can find healing sand in a stall around here. You need to get two bags. The price fluctuates, so just ask for the cost and pay the correct amount. Across the street you might be able to snag candy for two red bits a piece. Grab as many as the change allows; my brother tears them up.”  
I laughed. “What’s he like?” I questioned.  
“Xander’s…interesting. His personality changes a lot, from dead serious to prank happy. I love him, but I wish he could be more consistent. I’ve had to take care of him since we were young kids, to steer him clear of trouble. He hates taking orders from me, but he listens. I think you’d like him; he asks even more questions then you.” His eyes twinkled, teasing me.  
“Sorry,” I blushed.  
“Its fine.” His face inexplicably turned a deep shade of maroon.  
“What?” I probed.  
“Nothing.” For a second there was awkward silence as he met my gaze, and then I realized he was staring at something over my shoulder.  
“Land,” Noah confirmed. I turned my head around, straining to see Nadine. All I could make out were a few small mountains, while fog covered the rest of the island. Noah quickly folded up the map, shoving it back in to the compartment. He stood up, and soon, we were speeding towards the mountains.  
It wasn’t long before we neared the town, which had a few large buildings but was largely made up of stalls and shops. We approached a tall gate, made of a shiny black metal and designed very intricately. A small tower stood on either side, enforcing security. Boats of all sizes were docked on the other side of the gate. None of them had oars and most of them looked built for speed.  
A somewhat short man approached us, walking along a wooden platform that extended in to the sea. He had a no-nonsense, yet slightly jesting face. His jet-black hair rustled in the wind; one hand placed suspiciously on the hilt of a sword. It looked like we might have some trouble getting in.  
“Business?” the man asked casually, like it was routine.  
“Just to but a few items.” Noah didn’t meet eyes with the clerk, instead looking dead ahead in to the town.  
“For what?” The man continued to grasp his sword. His knuckles were white ghosts as he squeezed the hilt.  
“For my family and me. My dad died a few years ago, and my mother is getting old, so I came to pick up some supplies.” It wasn’t true, but Noah was pretty convincing. The man seemed satisfied with the explanation. He gave thumbs up to an unidentifiable figure in the left tower. Within a few seconds, the gate spit apart, and our boat drifted in to the city.  
“You okay?” Noah asked, preparing to tie up the boat. When we were close enough, he knotted a previously unseen rope to a wooden post.  
“Yeah.” Noah seemed like a reliable friend, and I hoped he would eventually completely trust me. He had already taken a step in that direction by having me do an errand for him.  
“Good. Let’s meet back here in forty-five minutes. Keep a low head and try not to attract attention.”  
“Bye.” I waved feebly to him and stepped out.  
“Good luck.”  
I moved silently across the dock, examining my surroundings. Something felt odd, a small tingle down my spine warning me to be cautious. Not many other people were in the streets, most working booths or hiding in unseen places. The place had a foreboding atmosphere, like sadness was woven deep in to the community.  
I turned sharply and was welcomed in to a completely different view. The busy street was packed with people, making moving around extremely difficult. I saw citizens of all ages, including children playing down avenue, teenagers gossiping in close circles, men and women buying groceries, and even several cheery elderlies clutching canes and greeting old friends. Small kids kicked around balls the size of a head, trying unsuccessfully not to kick the legs of older people. It was hard to think these children could understand the severity of the inflaming war, but then again here I was, fourteen, at the center of it all.  
I felt tiny fingernails claw at my leg. A small toddler pawed at me, looking at my bag full of money. I wasn’t sure if I could spare any. I considered sharing a small amount as my eyes came in contact with her emaciated figure that showed off her malnourishment. Noah wouldn’t miss a few-  
“Celia!” A woman scolded, scooping up the child. “You cannot just go running off like that!” She looked apologetically at me. The woman glanced at the bag of money before jerking her gaze back to my face. “You may want to keep that out of sight. Thieves would happily steal that from you,” she whispered. The drive in side me to give the family money doubled. I graciously tipped her five red bits, hiding the bag in my inner robe pocket.  
I caught sight of the reptile shop, making my way over as quickly as possible. The sides of the open stall were stacked with covered cages, piles of cured meat, and an odd assortment of noises that issued out in unregistrable patterns. Two employees lounged on a couch with exotic patterns, looking bored. They shot up as they saw me approach. I nodded to the girl. She seemed about seventeen, tall with blond, curly hair, reaching just below her shoulders.  
“Erin?”  
“Yep,” the girl replied.  
“Noah sends his regards,” I said quietly. Her eyes momentarily narrowed before relaxing to normal.  
“What do you need?” she asked softly.  
“Just a cobra,” I answered nonchalantly, like I was just buying a loaf of bread.  
“Ok, sure.” She strode to the other side of the booth, picking up a large rectangular cage and setting it on the counter.  
“Hey isn’t that a …” The guy started. Erin turned around, glaring.  
“Right,” he said, eyes dropping to the floor. I handed Erin two yellow bits.  
“Have a lovely day,” She said robotically. Then she lowered her voice, leaning in closer, “Tell Noah I plan to leave for the base soon. The guards keep a close a close watch on me, but I think I can slip out mostly undetected.” I nodded. Erin then straightened her back up, sort of signaling me to go.  
I grabbed the cage slowly, trying not to release the cobra inside. Then I became part of the crowd once again, having utmost cation to avoid crashing in to anyone. I turned right, moving in to another alley with several food stalls. I recognized a few items, but most were new to me. I glimpsed a skewer with three neon-orange spiders on it and swore I could see one of their legs still twitching.  
I soon reached a stand manned by an older woman. I decided I would ask her for directions, setting the cage down for a quick second.  
“Excuse me?” I coughed.   
The once still woman perked up, “Yes?”  
“Where can I buy some healing sand?”  
“If you are looking for small amounts, I think I have some in stock.”  
“Just two bags.”  
“I think I can manage that.” She disappeared, leaning down and opening a crate. The woman quickly came back up, carrying two small bags.  
“How much would that be?” I pulled out my money,  
“Err…Is seven orange bits okay?” I had a feeling most people did not have enough money for the sand, so the woman did not have a set price. I handed her the sunset colored stones, exchanging them for the two small bags as I picked the cage back up.  
“Have a nice day,” I mimicked Erin’s goodbye.  
“You too,” she smiled. “Stay safe.”  
I left, moving across the aisle to a food stand. The stand had a jar of candy on the counter. I was nearly there when there was a commotion behind me. Two guards were rushing towards my direction, dispersing the crowd. Crap.  
They had no weapons, so they would probably try to incapacitate me with magic. I hurriedly grabbed a handful of candy, setting a random on the counter. Then I ducked underneath someone, sprinting away. I turned erratically, trying to find a place with few people to make a clean getaway. I then realized I had darted in to a dead end. The two guards approached quickly, slowing when they saw I was trapped. They closed in; hands raised. I could still get out of this, I just had to be smart. I scanned the area: there was a door on the left, but other than that I could see no possible route. I tried the door. Locked, of course.  
“Come quietly, we don’t need to attract unwanted attention.” They were now about fifteen feet away, obviously ready for a fight. I had no idea what to do, because there didn’t seem like anything I could do. I even briefly considered turning myself in. As one of the men’s hands flickered with a spark of fire, I realized that there was another option. I had magic of my own. Untrained though I was, I had learned the basis of a few things, and it had after all, saved my life before.  
I breathed, trying to imagine the scene from an aerial view. I distorted the image, changing it to my liking. I closed my eyes, feeling the flow of energy in my body and channeling it to the guards. Every time I did this, I still marveled at how natural it all felt. It became easier and easier to feel my own life force. It reminded me of a tub filled with water, level increasing very slowly, but at the same time I was taking buckets out of it. The energy helped my body function. It was different than my brain: that controlled my thoughts, telling me to move. My life force was the part that actually moved my limbs. Both needed to be intact in order for me to function.  
I opened my eyes, examining the guards.  
“Where’d he go?” one of them asked. They gazed vacantly in the completely wrong direction, as if I was flying up in the clouds.  
“He vanished!” I took my chance, keeping tight hold of the cages, bags, and candy. I ran right for the guards, smashing the cage right in to one of their heads. He went flying, smashing in to a wall.  
“Hey!” the other one exclaimed, grabbing hold of the scruff of my neck. He pulled me back, pinning me against the wall. I kicked and swung, but the man had an iron grip.  
“Calm yourself, or I may have to knock you out.” He put two fingers against my neck, heat emulating in deadly bursts from his dirty nails. He was a fire elemantalist.  
“Got it?” The heat became uncomfortably warm, and I felt it beginning to blister my skin. I nodded, well aware that the man could end my life in a quick second. He sensed compliance, loosening his grip slightly. He dropped his two fingers, holding out a hand to the other guard. His eyes watched me carefully, teeth seething.  
“Let’s go.” I was forced to leave the cage behind, but able to pocket the sand and candy. I walked with them right down the street, brainstorming ideas. They hurried me back to the docks, preparing to leave in a boat.  
Just when the man began to step in the sleek yacht-like device, the ground began to rumble. A wave erupted from the deep within the water, washing over the docks, and pushing the guards back several feet. The spray moved around me as if I was Moses at the center of the Red Sea, instead focusing on the Egyptian riders.  
Noah appeared from behind a stall, tugging on my arm.  
“Come on,” he hissed. I was stunned, still comprehending what had just happened. When I finally got my legs moving, the guards were getting back up in a lazy stupor. We hopped in our boat; Noah quickly untied the rope in order to set us free. Up ahead, the gate was still closed.  
“How the hell are we going to get out?” But Noah had already answered my question. He conjured up another wave, this one even bigger than the last. We towered high over the gate, riding the wave like a surfboard. We easily crashed the flimsy gate.   
I glanced back. A large crowd had gathered, watching us make our escape. I recognized the toddler Cecelia, the smirking mother holding the kid tightly to her chest.  
“We’ve got to be quick; we can’t risk them following us back to the base.” Noah stayed true to his words, speeding at around the pace of a rollercoaster. When we seemed to be far enough away, Nadine a distant blur, he resumed the conversation.  
“Were you able to keep hold of anything?” he asked.  
“Just the sand and candy. They made me leave the cage behind.”  
“I can’t believe that after mere minutes of me telling you to keep a low profile, you go and get yourself captured. You seem to have a habit of getting yourself in to trouble, don’t you?”  
“Sorry,” I reddened. “They seemed to appear out of nowhere. But more importantly, how did you know that I had been captured? It hadn’t been anywhere near forty-five minutes.”  
“I followed you. I was unsure if the king had placed a bounty on your head yet. I wanted to see what would happen.”  
“So you set me up?” I was only slightly miffed, but I didn’t need to tell him that.  
“No,” he said defensively. “It was more of an experiment. If you had said anything about thinking someone would recognize you, I would not have sent you.”  
I reached in to my bag and chucked the bags of sand at his head.  
“Hey!” he protested.  
“Oh sorry, if you had said anything, I wouldn’t have thrown anything at you.”  
“Are you really that mad?” His eyes had a knowing look, as he stared comfortingly at me.  
“No.” I looked down.  
“Hey, we might as well get acquainted with one another if we’re spending the next twenty-four hours with one another.  
“Might as well,” I agreed.  
“I bet you have an interesting story to tell, vacationer. Why don’t you recount it to me?”  
“Ok.” It would be a good idea to hear all my thoughts out loud, and maybe help him understand why I wanted to get home so badly.   
So, I told him the story. I started with the trip to the Caribbean, making sure to explain a few things about my world first. I continued with the receiver and spelunking in the caves. I told him about the vortex, the governors, and hope. I neglected to mention that I was a shadower. I finally talked about Relaya. Noah glared when I mentioned her.  
“What?”  
“She is one of the king’s most devastating operatives. She appears, swiftly changes the tides of the battle, and leaves. I hope you did not place your trust in her.” I was shocked to hear her terrible reputation.  
“I did,” I said blatantly. “Whatever you may think, she is a nice person. She’s been forced to do all these things against her will and she’s from my world as well. In fact. I was hoping we could rescue her.” He looked at me uncertainly.  
“Maybe…” He was not convinced, “Continue.”  
I told him about our plan of escape, about the plague, and about me getting sick. I then finally retold our failed attempt at escape and then how I had run in to him.  
“And that’s all,” I concluded.  
“Interesting, so you’re sure you’re completely healed from the fever?”  
“Yep, or else I would have run out of energy a long time ago. It’s a very violent sickness.”  
“Good.”  
“So, what about your story? I only heard a brief part of it.”  
“Oh, I’m sure it’s about half as interesting as yours.”  
“Try me.”  
“Ok, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I laughed, and he smiled back.  
“So,” he took a deep breath and began summarizing his lifelong tale.

Chapter Ten  
The Uninhabitable Zone  
Though he was right, and his story wasn’t as fascinating as mine, it was still quite entertaining. I had known most of the basics: he had been born and raised on Kiera Island until he had escaped to the rebels when he was twelve. The details were expanded upon, and I began to learn more about him.  
Noah had risen somewhat quickly through the rebel ranks, and he was now being used for spy missions of minor importance. He was a water elemantalist and a changer, which was somewhat useful to them.  
We talked about some random stuff, mostly just trying to pass the time. I particularly enjoyed a conversation in which I tried to explain internet to him. He was completely convinced it was all a hoax to cover up magic.  
I got some sleep that night, catching a few Zs before I would randomly awaken again. It was hard to rest with all the stress resting on my shoulders.   
“Do you think they’ll help me get back?” I asked the next morning, “The rebels.” Noah had alluded that they were a very controlled group.  
“Honestly, No. They’ll try and use you before they’ll let you leave. But I can promise to at least try and help you get home. You don’t seem like a person who deserves all of this.” I was satisfied with this answer.  
“It must be crazy how new all of this seems to you,” Noah commented.  
“Yeah, I guess. But everything about it just feels so real. And it’s not like I could have been dreaming for this long. I’m just ready to leave. How long will you think it’ll take?”  
“Maybe about three weeks.” Okay, that wasn’t too bad. At least, not compared to how long Relaya had spent here. And I still had to find a way release her too.  
“That’s good…” An awkward silence pursued. What were we supposed to talk about?”  
“I forgot to ask, what skills do you have?” Noah stepped on the chirping crickets.  
“Oh no, you first,” I said.   
“Well you already know I’m a water elemantalist, but I’m also mover. You?”  
“Mover and distorter. And…Um…Shadower.” I wondered if I would regret saying that later.  
“What!” The boat slowed to a stop. He started pacing back and forth over the seats. He glanced back quickly, and I nodded somnolently.  
“Ooh this a bad. Like really bad. Oh, why me?” He seemed to be talking to himself more than me. “We can’t let the rebels know. If they find out, you’ll never be let go.”  
“Oh, and the king’s a shadower too.” Noah nearly fell over.  
“Are you serious?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Crap. Crap, crap. I mean, it makes sense, but how did we not know? How are we ever going to beat him now? With two shadowers they’ll be unstoppable. And you’re still in play. I’m really sorry, but this is going to be a lot harder than I thought. I assumed you were an ordinary trainee with a few small talents, not…” His voice trailed off.  
“Should I not of told you?”  
“No, it helps me understand you a little more. If I had known earlier, there was no way I would have sent you to Nadine. They would have and would still kill hundreds of people to get to you. Though I still don’t understand, how did you know the king was a shadower?” he wondered.  
“He just told me. I think it might have been a tactic to show trust between us.” Still, that didn’t seem to be a very logical conclusion. Noah seemed to agree as he shook his head.  
“No, that can’t be it. The king would have to be a lot less intelligent then we had thought to do that. There must be another reason. There’s simply no strategic advantage in that.” He rubbed the back of his head, thinking.  
After the long pause, I began to notice the water had changed in color slightly. Instead of the deep, midnight, blue it had changed to a turquoise-green, much shallower.   
“Is that-?”  
“-The beginning of the uninhabitable zone. Look, there’s a small island over there.” I followed his pointing finger, spying a tropical forest in the shape of an approximate right triangle.  
“So I’m guessing there’s a reason the rebel base isn’t there, but instead farther out,” I said. He snorted as if my question was laughable.  
“Yeah, it’s infested with giant snakes. One bite from one of them and you’ll be dead before you’ve of even realized it bit you. And that’s not the half of it.” He had an expression of mock fear on his face, realizing that would only elevate my curiosity.  
“Now you have to tell me.” I demanded.  
“No, sorry, I can’t. The last person to start asking questions got mauled by a wild boar.” I rolled my eyes; sure I was getting nothing out of him.  
“So you’re telling me if you answer my question, a pig is gonna’ hunt me down and step all over me?” I retorted.   
He laughed uncontrollably. “Well, if you put it that way…” He shook his head, suddenly lost in deep.  
“I thought Xander was the one with swift changes in personality,” I teased.  
“No, I just thought it was funny how long it’s been since I’ve enjoyed myself. The adult rebels have no sense of humor, and Xander’s an idiot.”  
“Now, now, Noah, don’t call names,” I lectured satirically.  
“Oh, like you’re any better.”   
“So will I actually get to see the rebel base, or are we just gonna’ drift around until they find us?” I changed the subject purposefully, as we were heading towards the hole of disrespecting diatribes.  
“Right.” He began moving the boat again. I sat there, continuing to stare at his face. Something about him seemed new, a fresh start on things. Not like my best friend Troy from back home, but much more. I had no idea what it was. He glanced back, and I looked up embarrassingly.  
“What?” He had the creep of a smile on his face.  
I rubbed my forehead, clearing my thoughts. “I believe you can get me home.”  
“Well at least that’s reassuring,” he said sarcastically.  
“No, really! I don’t know, you just seem reliable.”  
“Thank you,” he said graciously. His posture changed noticeably, ever so slightly less hunched.  
“Hey, by the way, Erin says she’ll catch up with you soon.” He seemed pleased by this. “How do you know her?” I asked.  
“From routine runs to Nadine. She’s done a few missions with me as well. It’s good she’ll finally get to meet everyone.”  
“How many are there?” I inquired, referring to the rebels.  
“Active members, maybe ten thousand. But most of them are dispersed across Latuga. We have a lot of people who support us, but don’t really want others to associate with us. It’s all run by Diamond, at the headquarters. I bet she’ll want to meet you personally.” Great, another chance for someone to latch on to my abilities. At least I didn’t have to tell her I was a shadower. I could make it seem like I was a mediocre mover and distorter, in which she might be okay with me winking back to Earth.  
He seemed to read my thoughts, “She is pretty extreme. Just stay out of her sight. Don’t interest her in anyway.”  
“Okay…” But I kept forgetting about someone. “I still need to get Relaya. Is there any way I could formulate a team to get her out?”  
He bit his lip, “Not a chance. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to do that on your own.”  
“Grrr…” I kicked the side of the boat, ending up in tremendous pain and collapsing in my seat. “Karma,” I muttered angrily.  
“What?”  
“Karma. It’s like a force that rewards or punishes you for good or bad things. Kind of like the opposite of luck.” I explained. Finally, I got to insult someone who didn’t know about something from my world.  
“It controls what happens to you?” Noah expressed, alarmed.  
“No,” I suppressed a laugh. “It’s made up.”  
Noah’s eyes looked questionable, “Why the heck would you invoke it then?”  
“I don’t know.” It’s something I hadn’t thought about before. “We don’t have magic, or, err, skills, so it’s like something people say when they get what’s coming to them.”  
“But you have what was it called, pawns?”  
“Phones,” I corrected, “-And they’re not magic. It’s technology.”  
“A box that talks to you and allows you to communicate to people all over the world sounds pretty magic to me.”  
“You know what, I’m done trying to explain anything to you.”  
The boat suddenly thudded to a stop. I had been so enveloped in our conversation I hadn’t observed the setting in a while. We had stopped at a small cove, up ahead several tents in two lines, formulating a walkway in between them. We had arrived.

Chapter Eleven  
The Base  
“Welcome.” Noah extended one arm forward, inviting me to step out with him. I followed, thoroughly examining what lay ahead. Beyond the tents there was a large, geodesic dome made up of triangle shaped panels of glass. I vividly pictured the appearance of a disco ball cut in half, light glimmering off it in all directions.  
My eyes widened noticeably, “That?” The building looked too modern to fit in with the castle and village-like structures seen across the islands.  
“It’s inspired by abstract structures from your world. In fact, we’ve used a lot of innovations from Earth here.” At least that made more sense.  
I stepped out of the boat, following him down the walkway. The path was made of several individual strains of stone, forming a spider’s web as we walked. A man climbed out of one of the tents, nearly running in to Noah.  
“Noah!” he exclaimed heartily. “You’ve returned.” He noticed me, “And returned with a new member?”  
Noah glanced at me. “Not really. He’s just staying for a brief time.” The man looked disappointed.  
“Diamond’s not going to like that,” he warned.   
“Diamond is not a dictator. We allow all people seeking refuge to stay here for a short time. Or perhaps you’ve forgotten why we’ve created this operation in the first place?” The man put his head down, going back in to the tent.  
“Who was that?” I asked, miffed.  
“Don’t worry about him. He’s a lower rank official that heavily supports Diamond. There’s a lot of scavengers like that.” I smiled, rolling my eyes.  
We continued to walk, passing a few other people who gave small acknowledgements to Noah. I noticed no other kids.  
“Where are we going first?”   
“I wanted to see how Xander was doing. After that you’ll probably be interrogated. Honestly, I don’t know why they even bother, we’ve already been infiltrated.”  
“A spy?”  
“Without a doubt. How else would they have known exactly where we’d set up?”  
“That doesn’t mean they need to loosen security. Wouldn’t you want to root them out before the damage got worse?”  
“Well it’s not like we can interrogate every person here, especially when they can leave whenever they want.”  
“You just want to be right,” I said teasingly.  
“More like try to prove you wrong,” he shot back.  
“And we’re back to the arguing phase.” He stuck his tongue out.   
We made it to a larger tent, obviously made for more than one person. Noah tapped on the flap and called Xander’s name. A moment later, I got my first look at Noah’s brother.  
He tackled Noah with a bear hug, standing about eight inches shorter. They stayed like that for a minute, right up until the point it got awkward. Xander pulled away slowly to my direction, and I got a first look at his face.  
It was very similar to his brothers; brown hair, a weathered look, and a few freckles. However, Xander’s expression was more naïve, less serious about his surroundings.  
“Hi,” he said. “I’m-,”  
“Xander.” I finished.  
He turned to Noah. “Let me guess, you met him two hours ago and already told your life story to him.” Noah, embarrassed, blushed.  
“Well it’s not like my secrets are very important assets to the King.”  
Xander held up his hands, “I’m not saying anything. It is great to know you’re okay.”  
“Adorable,” I commented.  
“Shut up,” Noah said non-seriously. Xander stared cheerfully at me as if I was bathed in golden light.  
“Who is he?”  
“The vacationer,” Noah answered.  
“The one Amber told me about? How on Latuga did you get him here?”  
“The night I sneaked in to the palace he was planning an escape. Our interests aligned. And the noble guard were there.” Noah smiled at the detail, knowing it would leave Xander with awe.  
“The noble guard?” he gaped. “How did you escape them?”  
“They were more interested in me,” I said. “I literally ran in to Noah on the way out.”  
“You take him to the front yet?” Xander asked.  
“We were on the way. Do you want to come with?” Noah asked as Xander thought for a second.  
“Okay. I needed to send a message anyway.” Then two became three.  
Xander was pretty talkative on the way, catching Noah up about all he had missed why’ll he had been gone. There had been no more leads on the spy, and Diamond had visited the Air Stone Islands to get them to join up; they were still deciding.  
We made it to the oddly shaped building quickly without much interruption. The inside was as modern as the exterior, with a huge cavern made of obsidian and several crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The cavern split in to several rooms each labeled something like Office or Map Room.  
A short but confident woman looking woman approached our group. “Interrogation?” she asked routinely.  
“Yep.” Noah affirmed.  
“Importance?” The woman pulled out a quill that had been sitting patiently in an ink bottle and made a quick jot on a piece of paper.  
“Level three.” She glanced at him, unsure if he was being serious “Is it really necessary-?” She got cut off.  
“Yes.” I wondered if people took Noah less seriously because of his age.  
She sighed. “Should I get Diamond?”  
“No! I mean…I mean Mark is fine.”  
“Sheesh. Okay.” She went down an unlabeled hallway to our left. Instead of returning, another man, probably Mark, came out. He looked about twenty and had thick black hair. He wore a brown robe and sandals with a thick notebook in his hand.  
“Hi,” he greeted me friendlily. “You all ready?”  
“Yeah, I think so.”   
“Meet me outside when you’re done,” Noah told me.  
I went with Mark in to single room marked Interrogations. It was much brighter than the kind I’d routinely seen in movies, with the whole room starkly lit and painted a happy purple. Though it did have a lone, clichéd table, it looked extremely comfortable.   
We sat down in unison, finding wooden chairs directly across from one another. Mark put out his hand and a glass filled with water appeared. I marveled again at the usefulness of magic and felt my eyes bug out of my head.  
“Vacationer?” I nodded. “I’m a mover,” he explained. “If you get good enough at it you can manage instantaneous transportation.” He pulled out a small yellow ball and dropped it in the water. It bubbled and fizzed, dissolving in less than five seconds.  
“Drink.” He handed the glass to me. “It’s called Adeverian. Think of it as truth serum.”  
I held it up tentatively to my lips, sniffing it uncertainly. It had a strong, spicy smell, which put me off. I had an irrational fear to spicy food.  
“It’s fine. Drink.” I felt the first drop of liquid escape past my lips. The potion was tangy yet sugary, quite the opposite of what I had been expecting. I finished it off with no problem, experiencing a sour aftertaste.  
“How do you feel?” Mark asked affectionately.  
“Good. But weird.” I tapped my finger on the table erratically. I seemed full of energy, but also tired at the same time.  
“Start with beginning.”  
An uncontrollable urge to tell him came over me, “Uh…Let’s see, I was named after my da- ,”  
“Sorry, should have been more specific,” He interrupted. “Start when you got to Latuga.”  
Suddenly I realized something. I couldn’t mention I was a shadower. He was going to find out.  
The thought began to leave my lips. No. I couldn’t let him know. If I did, I was going to be trapped here forever.   
“I…I,” I stammered. Do not tell him. Do not tell him. Do not tell him.  
“Something wrong?” Mark wondered. I realized my expression must have been ridiculous, something like a demonic chicken having a seizure.  
Do not tell him. Do not tell him. Do not tell him.  
“Fine,” I gasped. It took all of my effort to wrestle with the beast inside me. I had two hands wrapped against its neck, but its claws were still free to maul my own voice. The battle waged on as I found my footing and endurance.  
I began to wheeze out the story, attempting to pass the sensitive parts that might lead to more questions. I soon made it to my skills test. Do not tell him. Do not tell him. Do not tell him.  
He looked at me engagingly, “Your skills?”  
“Mover, and…Distorter.” Do not tell him. Do not tell him. Do not tell him.  
“That’s all?” he asked.  
Do not tell him. Do not tell him. Do not tell him.  
“Yes,” I spit out.  
“Good.” I was about to continue along with my introduction to Relaya, but Mark laid a hand on my shoulder.  
“No need. I can see you are extremely trustworthy. I bet you’re pretty tired, so we’ll wait a day until we press you again. You can get a tent number at the desk.”  
“Thanks.” I was surprised he had let me go so easily. Perhaps it was my utmost cruciality to them that influenced Mark’s decision. Or maybe he was just nice.  
I met Noah on the way out.   
“Everything went okay?”  
“Yeah,” I nodded. “I’ve got to go get a tent number.”  
“Let me handle that.” Noah walked up to the desk and began arguing with the lady. He started motioning with his arms, pointing at me, then pointing outside. The lady threw up her hands, obviously having lost the quarrel. He came back to me, lips curled up in comedic pleasure.  
“You’re in our tent,” he smirked. I stood there, impressed, and he pulled me outside.  
***  
It had taken quite literally a few seconds for me to unpacked. I didn’t have any possessions and there were three empty cots from me to choose from. Xander was delighted to have a new roommate, and Noah seemed quite pleased too.  
“Make yourself comfortable,” Xander told me.  
“It’s not like I’ll be staying here for a long time,” I said, looking for reassurance from Noah.  
“And I told you I didn’t know how long it would take. For all I know, you could be here for months.”  
“And I remember you told me you’d get me out of here I soon as possible,” I jabbed back, feeling a little betrayed.  
“I said I’d try! Not that I would!”  
“Fine! I didn’t take you seriously anyway!” Noah looked hurt as I tarnished my opinion of him.  
Xander continued to smile, despite the obvious tension. He stepped in, “Noah will get you home. I know he will.” He grinned proudly at his brother.  
Noah shuddered randomly.  
“You okay?” I asked, my attitude changing.  
“Yeah, just a little tired.” He shrugged it off, wiping his brow.  
“You sure?” He nodded, his eyes closed, and then violently coughed in to his fist. The hand came away dark red.  
“Noah…” His eyes flashed warning lights before he collapsed to the floor. I caught him mere inches from the dirt.  
“Xander, get help.” I ordered as he stood there uncertainly. “Now!” He jolted out of the tent.  
I glanced back at Noah, “Everything’s going to be okay.” He shook his head slowly as a pink tear slid down his cheek.  
“I don’t…Even know…How this happened.”  
“You must have caught it from the air in Juma.” We both didn’t speak of the other possibility: The infection had passed through me.  
“Yeah,” He said. “The air.”  
“Wait you didn’t touch anyone, did you?” I asked him. From what I’d seen, an outbreak from this virus could rise to pandemic levels with ease.  
His eyes closed while he thought, “I don’t think so. No one, no one except …” My mind instantly pictured the full hug between Noah and Xander.  
“Shoot,” I exclaimed, gently laying Noah’s head on the floor. I shot out of the tent, searching up and down the pseudo-street. There was no sign of Xander anywhere. By now, he would be in contact with someone else. I ducked back inside.  
“He’s gone.” Noah looked up; eyes filled with fear.  
“What happens now?” he asked.  
“Well, I think, I think…If they don’t place a quarantine soon, the whole island will be infected.” I turned and ran to find the boy.

Chapter 12  
Quarantined  
I sprinted down the street screaming Xander’s name. By the time I had caught up to him, he was explaining to a medic what had happened.   
“Xander, stop!” I screamed. He was reaching his right hand towards the doctor, about to grab him. He didn’t seem to hear me.  
I ran towards him, tackling him to the ground.  
“What’s wrong with you?” he screeched. “Get off me!” He tried to roll away, but I slammed his head to the ground.   
I grimaced as a spritz of blood colored his temples. I hadn’t meant to be so violent.  
His eyes met with mine, and he saw the obvious worry in my irises.  
“What happened? Noah didn’t…did he?” He imagined the worst.  
“No, but you are sick. You almost spread it to him.” I pointed up to the medic, who looked more than mildly confused.  
“You need to quarantine him now! And Noah. And me to be safe.”   
She looked stunned, but she seemed to understand. In less than ten minutes, the three of us were locked in a glass room together. We laid Noah down on one of the infirmary’s beds. I told Xander to lay down as well to be prepared when he began to get worse.  
The medic told me they would wait ten hours for my symptoms to show. He thought I would be safe, as I had probably been granted immunity the first time I was afflicted with the fever.  
I paced the room back and forth, wondering if Noah would be okay. He had fallen sound asleep, looking so peaceful, but I knew his body was fighting a war on the inside.   
“Noah’s tough,” Xander said, as if he knew what I was thinking about.  
“What about you?” Xander didn’t answer. The brother was in just as much danger now.  
Protected nurses in tight clothing came in and out, examining us: feeling our foreheads, checking our eyes, looking at our throats. None of them could do anything to help Noah’s deteriorating condition.  
They continued to monitor Xander, but no symptoms seemed to show. He remained in perfect working order.  
I was released, and Xander would soon be too, assuming he was still healthy. Mark was the one to escort me back to the front, informing me they would take a few more precautions before I was allowed back in to the tent.  
A tall black woman with buzzed hair stood with a menacing demeanor at the door. I didn’t need for her to say who she was, as I already knew. It was Diamond.  
“Pleasure.” She stuck her hand out friendlily, smiling manipulatively. I hesitated, wondering if I should take it. We both stood there for a moment, like a contest of will. Her vibrantly blue eyes glared into mine, and I glared right back. They pulled out knives, and I blinked in defeat. Backing down, I reluctantly shook her hand.   
“Good.” It was an unspoken conversation between us. It was like we could both see the other’s goals flashing above their head.  
“So, you’re the new vacationer the government kidnapped.” Unlike everybody else here, the word vacationer was pronounced with preciseness, as if she used it frequently.  
I glanced behind me, and realized Mark had left. “So, to what do I owe the visit?”  
“I just wanted to meet you,” she said simply, fire dancing from behind her skull.  
“I see.”  
“What did you say your skills were again?” It was like she knew exactly what I was hiding.  
“Distorter and mover,” I answered quickly.  
“I see,” she said, mimicking my earlier response. “And how old are you?”  
“Fourteen.”  
Diamond stood there in silence, studying my face. Then, as if she was reminded of something, she stood up straighter.  
“You may go.”  
I ran off as fast as I could. Every second I spent with her was bad for me. I got to the newly cleared tent out of breath, sitting down just outside the flap. I didn’t want to go in, as seeing the reminder of the spot where Noah had collapsed might be too upsetting. Before anything right now, I needed to calm myself. I breathed. In. Out. This was all too much. The stress was getting to me.  
I repositioned myself in a meditative position, blocking out all the other sounds. I just had to think. What was my next move?  
First, I had to wait for Noah to recover. I needed an ally, whether he would be able to help or not. Second, Escape the base. I had made a horrible mistake coming here in the first place. Third, rescue Relaya. Lastly, make it back to Juma and go back home.  
I began to calm down. Planning things always made me feel better. It made it seem simpler, like there wouldn’t be obstacles in the way.  
I was tackled to the ground, broken out of my stupor. Someone was attacking me, punching me, slapping me, screaming. I opened my eyes, trying to identify the person on top of me. I got a whip of brown hair in my face and angry snarls issuing from the attacker.  
“Stop!” I screamed. They were in a frenzied crazed, their face blurring.  
I grabbed their head, ultimately slowing them. I recognized something about them, which I couldn’t place my fingers on. It might have been the wavy brown hair, or the elegant shade of her skin.  
That was when I realized who it was. The slave girl from back at Juma. The one who had stood at the door. The one who had taken me to the baths. The one who had escaped.  
“Wait!” I screamed. She finally stopped attacking. “Why did you do that?” My semi-healed nose had begun to bleed again, and my lip was swelled, but I was fine.  
“I know what you’re actually here for. You’ve got them all fooled, but I know what you’re up to.” She bared her teeth, looking like a poised snake.  
“Why would you think that? I’m just here to help.”  
“Oh really? How dumb do you think I am? You show up four days after arriving and have already changed sides? Then you come here, and Noah and Xander just happen to get infected? I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing here, but I’m going to stop it.”  
“Hold on, listen. I’m with you…”  
“Amber,” she supplied.  
“Amber,” I repeated, getting up. “Look. I’ve been interrogated. They’ve decided I’m okay and I hope you can too. I’ve seen how terrible the king is, and I’ll help you win this war.” She studied my expression, trying to judge my intentions.  
After a few exchanges it was surprising how easy it was to convince her. I told her more about myself and she apologized for my now broken nose.   
“Look,” she said. “This is going to sound really weird, but it was almost like something came over me. Like right now, I’m not mad at you at all, but a few minutes ago it was blinding rage.”  
I stared at her stupidly. “No, I am serious!” she said, “Why would I attack you and then totally be fine a minute later?”  
“That’s why I’m so confused. It doesn’t make sense.”  
“Whatever.”  
Xander ran up to us with a grim expression. “You’re fine?” I asked cautiously.  
He nodded. “They let me out early. But that’s not that problem. Noah’s in really bad shape and the healers are out of ragnok juice to treat him with. They were going to send a team to Drakona Island to extract some, but most of the soldiers just left for Outpost Seven.”  
“So, what are they going to do?” I asked worriedly. I didn’t want Noah to die.  
“Well, I asked Diamond if I could collect some people and go myself. She said it was fine if I brought you. She thought it would be a good test of your loyalty.” Like I needed to do that. Despite that, I would have gone anyway, for Noah.  
“I’m in.”  
“Amber?” Xander pushed as I looked concerningly at her. I didn’t exactly trust her after what happened.  
“It’s not like I’ll be much help,” she said.  
“You can put up quite a fight, even without skills,” he countered.  
“You got one thing right,” I snorted.  
“Hmmm?” Xander was confused.  
“Nothing,” we said in unison.  
“Okay…We’ll be leaving in an hour on the east side of the base. Meet me there in about forty-five minutes.”  
“Got it,” Amber said. I nodded with her.  
“Good.” Xander saluted jokingly in farewell. I could tell he liked being in charge. “Oh, and there’s one more thing…” he added.  
“Yeah?” I couldn’t place his expression.  
“The island’s infested with dragons.”

Chapter 13  
Dragons  
The three of us were in a boat: Amber, me, and Xander, out on the open sea. Having left three hours ago, we had been sitting in unanimous silence since. Xander was busy propelling the boat, leaving just me and Amber together. Her legs were tugged close to her chest, hands curled in to fists as I tried to brave the unbearable silence.  
“What made you switch?” she finally asked.  
“Was I ever on their side to begin with?”   
“Yeah,” she said sharply. “When I first met you, you were totally enveloped in what they were doing. At least, that’s what I thought. Am I at least, somewhat right?”  
“I mean yes, until I met Relaya. I thought, if I did what they’d say, they would set me free. She showed me differently.”  
“Like you can trust her,” Amber spat.  
“What’s that supposed to mean.”  
She glared at me, and I was reminded of the time I had asked her name back on Juma. “You’re not from here, so I’m going to give you a pass. But that girl has a reputation that puts most governors to shame. You wouldn’t believe the rumors that fly around…”  
“Even if she did any of the stuff you heard, which she didn’t, she would have been forced to. They’ve tortured her for eight years and killed her sister. You’ve got to be a little messed up after that.”  
“Your past doesn’t make up your mistakes.”  
“I’m sure you’ve made plenty.”  
“I have,” she nodded. “But I don’t try to blame it on someone else! I’m honest!”  
“But not humble,” I shoved in quickly.  
“What?”   
“Nothing.” I hid a smile.  
“Don’t act all high and mighty! You and I both know whose fault it is Noah got sick.” She had struck a nerve. I had been trying to avoid that feeling, but now the shame I felt was front and center.  
“That wasn’t my fault,” I said slowly. “I didn’t mean…I…It wasn’t me.” There was awkward silence for several minutes. My breathing was sloppy and teetering as I resisted crying in front of the girl. What would she think if I just collapsed?  
“I’m sorry,” she eventually apologized, “That was mean. It’s not fair for me to judge her if I’ve never met her.”  
“It’s fine,” I said calmly, if not slightly passive aggressively. Maybe I was most defensive because that was the path I’d almost gone down. “You know, I did think I’d never see you again.”  
“You’ll see I’m full of surprises.”  
We continued to throw words back and forth, but the conversation didn’t flow as well as it did when I was talking with Noah. Additionally, I couldn’t quite place my finger on her personality. At times, she would seem neutral, others times argumentative, sometimes even appearing flirty. Something about it wasn’t right.  
The trip dragged on, and eventually Xander grew tired and took a rest. I got so desperate to pass the time that I taught them I-spy (which proved to be quite an interesting banter).  
Xander proved remarkably similar to his brother, having to do with his failure to understand simple things. He kept doing the game backwards, pointing out an object and waiting for us to name the color. After many laughable attempts, I eventually gave up.  
The scenery around us was quite beautiful, with tiny waves adding texture to the smooth emerald water.  
“Hey, look.” I reached my hand in to the water, digging up some sand.  
“It’s shallow. Are we on a sandbar or...?”  
I pointed out something they hadn’t noticed. Mere miles away were several clear palm trees. They shaded a calm beach that would have been perfect for sunbathers. We had made it to Drakona Island.  
***  
I didn’t know what the fruit looked like, but Xander said we would only find it inside the caves, hanging on the ceiling. I shivered, the last thing I wanted to do was be back in a cave system.  
We dragged the boat ashore, hiding it among several palm fronds. Amber was horrified to find a small spider spinning its web between trees. She screeched and batted the web down with a branch. Instantly, I was reminded of Myra.  
“Shut up.” Xander hissed. So friendly, yet so responsible. “Do you want to call attention to us here?”  
“Right.”  
“Good point,” I agreed.  
We hiked through the area, searching for a low area of land where a cave might be. We had fallen in line with Xander in the front, hacking down the dense forestry with a large dagger. He stepped once again, tripping on a root. He sprawled forward, diving over a log and down straight in to a valley. Our last sight was of him rolling down painfully in too a nest of branches and heavy moss.  
“Xander!” I screamed, running to catch up with him. Amber was on my ankles, screaming his name at an even louder volume.  
I stopped suddenly, and Amber ran in to me from behind. I was luckily able to keep my balance and stop from falling in to the pit.   
“What’s wrong?” she asked.  
I just pointed. The moss wasn’t moss. It was a sleek and scaly dragon. Xander lay feet from it, his eyes as wide as saucers. The dragon’s tail curled around his stomach, flapping around absent-mindedly.   
“Don’t move,” I mouthed. Amber gasped, having just realized what the mass really was.  
“How are we going to get him out?” she whispered.  
“We can’t. Anything we do will just disrupt the dragon. He’ll have to do this on his own.”  
“I’m right here you know!” Xander exclaimed. The dragon’s tail flicked him suddenly, and he held in a scream. The dragon was about ten feet long, with a slender head and two coiled horns. The leathered wings were folded neatly against its body.  
Xander began moving slowly, sliding his head out from under the tail. He used his hand to hold it up, rolling the rest of his body away. He stood up quickly, perhaps a little too quickly, as he fell back in, this time directly on the dragon.  
Xander squeaked, and the dragon simultaneously snapped awake. It snapped, throwing Xander off its back.   
“We’ve got to distract it!” I screamed. Meanwhile, the dragon advanced on Xander, barring its teeth at him and snarling. I turned back to look at Amber, and in turn saw a rock sailing over my head. It hit the dragon on its neck, leaving a mark oozing black blood.  
It turned on us, racing out of the pit.   
“Run!” Xander screamed.  
We took off in separate directions, careful not to trip on the vines. I glanced back quickly, seeing the dragon had decided not to chase me. I doubled back to the pit, rendezvousing with Xander.   
“It went after Amber,” I explained. But when she too came back to the pit, we were left at confusion.  
A faint wind ruffled my back, then sweltering heat. Behind us, the dragon had taken to the air. Fire swirled out of its snout, nearly disguising its long-pointed fangs.  
The fire set to a few leaves, quickly spreading to several trees. Xander conjured up a wave, dowsing the growing flames. The dragon continued to breathe fire, countering the rolling water. Its belly glowed orange, as if the fire was coming from deep inside its digestive system.  
Fire grew and turned to deep shades of blue. The water crackled, turning in to smoke and spiraling up in to the clouds. The fire came to Xander’s hands burning the flesh from of his fingers. Amber cringed in empathy, but Xander seemed frozen in shock. She took the knife from around his belt, taking a curved path around the dragon. She jumped and plunged the dagger in to its belly. She twisted it in, then took it out. It crashed down, sputtering one last flame before it crunched to the ground.  
“Go!” I screamed. We dragged Xander’s lifeless body farther in to the underbrush, but we had no idea what do with him. I had heard about people being in shock before, but I had never actually seen it in real life. And I had no idea what to do.  
“Is he okay?” Amber asked, examining his fingers.  
“Would you be, if that happened to you?”  
“They’ll heal, it right, though? That’s what I mean. Like the healers can put it back together.  
The fingers were charred and crumbly, gushing out dark fluid. The fire must have been magical, because the wound looked like nothing I’d ever seen, even in movies.  
“I don’t know.” I said, “But if we don’t get him back in time it’ll for sure become infected. Remember, we still have to get the fruit.”  
“Right. First thing first.”  
We took Xander’s body to the boat, bandaging his fingers in a gauze I found in the boats compartment.  
“Wait a moment,” she said, “How are we going to get back?”  
“What do you mean? Xander has…Oh…Shoot. Good point. We’ll have to row.”  
“Row?”  
“Yeah,” I said, talking to myself, “It's too far for us to row. Which leaves waiting for him to recover. All right,” I looked at Amber, “Stay here. I’m going to go get the fruit.”  
“Shouldn’t I go?” she asked, “I know what it looks like.”  
“You know Xander better. And besides, you can just tell me what to look for.”  
“Fine,” she said. “It’s an odd shade of green with fuzz growing on it. But take Xander’s knife. You’ll need it to cut it down.”  
“Alright.” I grabbed the dagger from her, still covered in black liquid.  
This time I was much more cautious. I scanned the ground thoroughly, making sure I wouldn’t step on something camouflaged in the environment. I walked past the corpse of the dead dragon, which ironically had fallen back in to pit from where it had been sleeping. I almost felt bad for it; it wasn’t its fault Xander came and woke it up.  
I found a giant rock wall with a stream flowing around it. I followed the stream right to a cave, the opening only about seven feet wide and had several footholds on the walls. It eerily contrasted the cave back at my parents’ island, but how far I was away from that, I had no idea.  
I scaled the ledge, turning my body when I got to the top. The cave ceiling was quite dark, but I could see green, peach-like, fruits hanging from it. I was at an awkward angle, but I was able to cut off several and send them flying to the ground. I figured it was better to grab more so the rebels wouldn’t have to return.  
I scooped up all the fruit, carrying about fifteen in my arms. They weren’t much bigger than golf balls, and their texture was like smooth, fine, fur.   
The trip back was much more difficult, and I had to carry the knife’s hilt in my mouth to ensure I didn’t drop the ragnok. Amber was waiting expectantly at the boat, which she had pulled back in to the water. Xander sat silent, facing endless oblivion.  
“I’ve got an idea,” she said. “What if we were to use the fruit to treat his wounds?”  
“That makes sense…” I thought, remembering the arm bands back at Juma, “The juice stops disease, so applying it to his fingers should at least stop infection.”  
I slowly took the gauze off his fingers. The flesh had burnt away, leaving some bone protruding from the black. I used the knife to cut the fruit in half, squeezing the juice on to a fresh gauze Amber laid out for me. The juice was a putrid yellow color and had a foul odor that spread out in a radius around the ship.  
I wrapped the gauze around both of his hands. I worried we might have been too late; that there was barely anything left for the fingers to heal from.  
“What now?” Amber asked.  
“We wait for him to wake up.”  
***  
I was alone with Amber once again. I was still holding a grudge against her. She had attacked me, then did so again verbally. I was not going to let my guard down around her again. I was getting quite annoyed with this situation, and I wanted nothing more than to be with Noah again. I hoped he would be okay, but our clock was ticking, and Xander showed no sign of life.  
I picked up a rock and threw it in to the woods. Big mistake. Something rustled faintly, and a huge platinum dragon rose from out of nowhere. A hurricane of fire exploded from its mouth, spreading around a large part of the island, and this time, there were no waves to put them out.  
“We need to wake him up now!” I screamed. Amber splashed water in Xander’s face, but he refused to move.  
“Xander!” She screamed with increasing urgency. She slapped, tickled, and splashed him, but nothing would waken his stoned expression.  
“Amber!”   
“I’m trying!” The dragon had spotted us, and its huge wings were beating up to the sky.  
I had an idea. “Amber, switch places with me.” She moved to the back of the boat, and I moved to Xander’s spot.  
I laid my finger on his forehead, searching for his consciousness inside him. I found it, weak and shattered, but there. Wake up. I sent the message deep in to him, past the physical ear canal. I could sense he felt it, but there was no response on the outside.  
Louder. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up.  
Suddenly he gasped. “What happened?” He wheezed.  
Amber saw Xander’s scared, but awake, body stature. “Xander, listen to me. You need to move this boat now.”  
“But…” He glimpsed the dragon, “Okay then.” The boat took off at top speed, and Xander shakily got to his feet.  
Behind us, a giant wall of red had built up on the island. Drakona Island was burning to the ground.  
“That’s the only place ragnok grows,” Amber said. “They’re going to have a lot harder time treating diseases now that that’s out of the way.”  
“Can’t they just replant it?”  
She shook her head, “The fruit only grows in places where dragon manure has met with caves. The only other island to have dragons on it is closely guarded by the king.”  
“Wow, wish you had told me that before I volunteered to pick it.”  
She laughed, “Explains the smell,” I muttered.  
“What did you do to Xander?” She asked.   
“Oh, don’t mind me, I’m just moving this boat.” Xander said sarcastically.  
“No seriously!” Amber said.  
“I don’t know. Some sort of distortion I think.” But another option was forming in my head.  
“That’s not a type of distortion I’ve seen.” Amber commented. And she was right. It wasn’t distortion. It was the skills of a shadower.

Chapter 14  
Antidote  
I had never done any shadowing before. There I was no way I should have been able to do anything like that, especially with no training. There was something much more sinister about it, though I didn’t know what.  
We filled Xander in on what happened, and he seemed surprised he had been out for so long.  
“I’ve never been unconscious before.” He yelled over the roar of the ocean.  
“It wasn’t really unconscious,” Amber said, “You were more like in extreme shock.”  
“Well I’ve never been in that either.” I rolled my eyes.  
“Focus!” I shouted, “That sickness acts quickly. Noah could be minutes from death.” That seemed to snap him in to seriousness.  
“Chill out.” She said.  
“Oh, like when you attacked me? Because that was so chill.” It was nothing like the playful teasing between me and Noah. It was harsh verbal abuse.  
The trip back seemed much longer than the way there. There was no conversation, so nothing to pass the time. I skimmed my hand against the water, enjoying the feel of it resisting the boat.  
Someone was waving us down as we came back to the base. As we came closer, we saw a distraught expression on her face.  
“Gracie, what’s wrong?” Xander asked as we skidded to a stop.  
“Hurry! Noah is on the brink of death. We need the fruit now!” I tossed a ragnok to her, and she raced to the infirmary. I jumped out of the boat to follow her.  
“Carter wait!” Amber screamed. I wasn’t listening. I had to see if Noah would recover.  
I raced up the dock, catching up with the women.  
“In what condition is he?” She looked at me for a second but refused to slow down. In doing so, she answered my question.  
She flung open the infirmary door, disregarding the desk security. I followed her back to the glass room, where several medics were waiting desperately.  
“Here,” She thrust the fruit in to one of their hands. They instantly cut open the fruit and poured the juice in to a vile.  
“That should be enough,” One of the doctors said. The nurse with the vial opened the glass door leading in to Noah’s room. And Noah…Oh gosh Noah.  
He was flooded in blood, with literally all the blankets soaked in it. His flesh was dissolving, rotting away. He additionally had an egg-sized lesion on his face. The nurse walked up to him, applying the liquid gently to his skin. She gently raised the remaining juice to his lips, letting it trickle down his throat.  
“Can I see him?” I asked to the group.  
“I don’t see why not, you are immune, but we’ll have to disinfect you when you decide to leave.”   
I nodded to her and pushed through the attendants. I worried what I would say to Noah. He looked quite ill, and I just wanted to make him feel better. I felt like I would mess something up.  
I opened the door, sliding past the nurse, who was moving toward a small room on the side marked Disinfecting.  
I sat down at the foot of the bed, listening to his ragged breath.  
“Hey,” he rasped.  
“Hey,” I smiled.  
“I’m sorry,” he managed. His eyes were brimmed with tainted tears. “I can’t imagine how you must have felt, how I made you feel. It wasn’t your fault.” He began dryly coughing and I helped him to sit up. I couldn’t tell if he was in pain from the disease or me.  
“It doesn’t matter how it happened. You’re going to be okay.”  
“Yeah but the island. Carter, you could have died. Gods, if something had happened to Xander.”  
“We’re all safe. The benefit was saving your life, so we took the risk. If you think I wouldn’t do everything to save you…”  
“You hardly know me! I’m not worth it.” It hurt. Not that he had said it, but because was true. I had just met Noah. But I trusted him with so much of me, and…I thought he felt the same.  
“Sorry,” His hands rubbed his temples, “I’m just really confused. I can’t shake the feeling that something’s wrong, and I can’t do anything about it. And I’m trying to figure you out. Just stop giving me mixed signals okay?”  
“What are you talking about?”  
“Nothing…It’s stupid.” Once again silence. I was almost starting to wish I was having a conversation Amber.  
“Wow, how did things get so awkward so fast?”  
He shook off his embarrassment. “You’re right. Can we just start over?”  
I nodded, eyes closed, “Yeah, okay.” I smiled, “So Noah, how are you?”  
A slow grin spread across his face, “Well, other than currently being infected with a deadly disease, fine. But you know, that’s not a big deal.”  
“It’s not when you’re being cured, you big baby.” Just like that, we were back to normal.  
He pointed towards an orange sized lipoma on his neck. He tilted his head.   
“Yeah okay, fine.” The swelling was already beginning to go down, but I wasn’t going to point that out. I picked up a cloth from the bedside table and tried to dab up some of the pool of blood.  
“Thanks.” I laid Noah’s head back down on his pillow.  
“Listen, I’m going to go let Xander and Amber know you’re okay. Are you all set? Do you need anything.?”  
He looked sad to see me go, but at the same time understanding, “No I’m fine. Just tell Xander not to worry.”  
“I will. Make sure to rest.” I went back to the disinfecting room. A healer came by and put her hand in a chute. A blue light shimmered through the air, building a moving wall that quickly floated through me. It seemed to absorb all the blood and dirt on my body, contaminating the vibrant surface and traveling with it. When it had completely passed, the healer opened the door.  
He seemed like he was about to say something, but I didn’t wait to chat. I strode quickly past him to the desk and found Xander and Amber arguing with the desk clerk. Amber’s hair looked like a rat’s nest from running. Xander’s eyes were wild, like he had just left the battlefield.  
Amber saw me first. “Carter what happened? They won’t let us in.”  
“Noah’s recovering. We got here just in time.”  
It was as if a giant weight had been lifted off their shoulders. “That’s good, that’s good,” Xander said, half talking to himself.  
Amber rested her hand on his shoulder and sighed. “Let’s never do that again.” I vigorously nodded in agreement. That was not the kind of adventure I ever wanted to experience again.  
I turned to the desk clerk, “Can you let them in?” His expression was solemn.  
“I have orders from Diamond.” Xander cursed under his breath, and we all turned to look at him.   
“Sorry,” he apologized, “Just annoyed.”  
“Annoyed with me?” Diamond stepped away from the corner. She slid her short hair innocently to the side. Her eyes glowed of hazel, filling my heart.  
“A little,” Xander glared.  
She stepped forward again, towering over his tiny figure. “I apologize. I wished to speak to Carter, but was caught up in all the, well…commotion.” The words rolled off her tongue, planned down to each syllable.   
“I’m going to go,” Xander darted his eyes to floors, hurrying past her.  
Amber stood by my side, and I was grateful for her presence.  
“Calm yourself,” The phrase carried meaning in the air, hanging in my head. I relaxed. “Amber, I expect you may as well join Xander.” Reluctantly she complied. Diamond’s gaze narrowed.  
“Perhaps you would wish to converse somewhere more private?” I didn’t answer, but she showed me back in to the interrogation room. She didn’t waste time for me to get comfortable.   
“Carter? What of peculiar circumstances you arrived here. The time in which we would most need you.”  
“You mean kidnapping?”  
She laughed falsely, “No my child, I’m talking about destiny. It was fate in which I would meet you, fate that you would mean the downfall of the empire.”  
“What gives you that idea?” Her lips crumpled, understanding my implications. I couldn’t help but be astounded by her natural beauty. She was well in to her thirties, but her image was the definition of perfection. No wrinkle marred her features, not a single flaw.  
“It is your duty. You were marked since birth to find this path. I was marked to meet you.” She paused for an extended period. “When I was ten years old, I heard a prophecy. I know not of its origin, but sure of its reality.”  
“One by one, the islands will fall   
King bathed in red to rule them all  
Underrated power to end his reign  
The girl is doomed, his demons slain  
Love is yet to sway his heart  
Love will tear the war apart  
Return in shame, killed yet ten  
Fate to cross love’s path again”  
“You think it’s about me?” I asked in disbelief.  
“It is my suspicion. For one, Mark has reported only mediocrity from you. Underrated. Second, I am of certain belief that your heart has found someone.   
Third, and most importantly, we need you now. It is of perfect timing.”  
I didn’t say anything. I did wonder about the fifth, sixth, and final lines. Did they talk about me?  
“I want you to understand. I want nothing more to free Latuga from its dictatorship. Certain demands must be met. I can cut no expenses, including letting you slip from under my grasp. It is of the utmost importance that you cooperate with me. The sooner, I get what I want, the sooner you can leave.” I waited for her to say more, and when left in silence, pondered her words.  
There was no way I trusted her. In parallel, she was like the king, no better when she would stoop so low to manipulate a teenager.  
“What do you want, Diamond?”  
She smiled, this time for real. “Truly, I do not know. However, I know you are mistaken in my demeanor. I do care about your wellbeing. I care about everyone’s. That’s what I’m fighting for.”  
“Is it fair to use me? I was unfairly taken away from my family. Would you exploit me to further your agenda? Don’t lie to me.”  
“I’m not the one who’s lying.” Her gaze darkened, “It’s true, there are rumors of those that resist Adeverian, but until now, it was not confirmed.”  
“How-?”  
“It’s not important. Tell me of your true capacity. Be honest with me about that, and I will be honest to you.” I knew she would keep that promise. Almost unwillingly, I admitted what I was.  
“I’m a shadower.” I expected her to jump up in surprise, scream, or at least flinch. Instead, I had no reaction. After a minute, she spoke.  
“I suspected as much. You have an aura of power around you. I couldn’t place my finger on which…It makes sense. Regardless, you fulfilled your portion. I have no hidden intentions. I wish to see the downfall of the monarchy, replacing the government with a representative democracy, like your world. Once we are stable, you will be free to go.” I believed her.  
“Can you promise me something? If you can, I swear I will pledge myself to your cause completely?”  
She nodded, “Continue.”  
“I made a friend on Juma. I’ve heard of what she’s done, but I know from firsthand experience that she has good intentions. I made a promise to myself that I would not leave without her. Can you organize a team to rescue Relaya?”  
“I will.”  
“Then I am yours to command.” The words were binding. Whether I would regret them was yet to be seem. I could see Diamond was a good person. What worried me were her unorthodox methods.  
“Good.” She sat up straighter. “In that case, I have information in which to share with you. By now, I have no doubt you have heard of our spy?”  
“Noah mentioned it.”  
“I need you to keep an eye out for them. I am so close to the final stage of this operation. Their knowledge of our camp could destroy everything.”  
“Gotcha.”  
“You have thirteen days. In that much time, an invasion of this base is set to commence. You need to root them out before that. With your skills as a shadower, I feel you are best suited for this job.”  
“Wait,” I asked, “Why would a spy be needed to invade the base? Why risk their involvement?”  
“When you neared this island, did you feel a distinct change in the waters?”  
“Yeah…” I said, vaguely recalling the drastic change in the ocean’s color.  
“That ‘wall’ was called a distortion line. It is impenetrable except to those that have visited before or have been deliberately shown the location. Without either of those, the wanderer will find themselves traveling in circles, returning the way they came.”  
“So, they need the spy to let them in.”  
“Precisely. So, it is now my policy that no one will arrive or depart without my permission. Suspicious activity should immediately be followed up and reported to me. Understand?”  
“I do.” Diamond stood up, and I caught glimpse of a scar on her forearm. I wondered what it was. I didn’t ask.  
She followed my gaze but didn’t say anything. “I look forward to speaking with you in the future.” She extended her hand. I shook it slowly.  
“I think Noah is waiting for me,” I gushed.  
“I expect he is.”

***

Xander and Amber were whispering against the wall. They stopped when he saw me. Amber had fixed her hair, at least combing it to one side. Xander still looked tense, as if preparing for a fight.  
I pretended not to notice. “How long?” I asked, gesturing at Noah. He sat up in his bed, obviously bored.  
“They said about six hours.” Amber replied. “He’s lucky the disease passes so quickly, or they probably would have had him locked up for days.”  
Xander nodded. “He does not like to sit still.”  
I snorted, “I can relate.” I sat down next to Amber, careful to put the right amount of distance between us. I still worried she would attack me again.  
“What did Diamond want?” She asked, “To sink her teeth in to you?”  
“More or less.” I didn’t want to divulge the entirety of our deal. “It looks like I’ll be staying here for a while.”  
“She didn’t wait very long, did she?” Xander asked.  
For some reason, I felt the need to defend her. “She’s not that bad. In the end, we all want the same thing, freedom.”  
The two of them shared a glance.  
“Carter, what exactly did you agree to?”  
“Why?”  
“Diamond specializes in charming people. She knows how to coax the truth out of anyone. You’ve got to be careful what you say around her. She takes an oath very seriously.” Amber seemed genuinely worried. Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t had full control in the moment. Her words had almost put me in a trance.  
“It wasn’t anything big. I just…”  
“You don’t have to say.” Xander said. “In fact, you probably shouldn’t. But if you vowed something, it's too late now, you have to keep it.” I was glad I was aware of this now, before I had done anything worse.  
“I’ll be careful.” I was unsure of what to do next, so instead I thought about home. For so long I had tried to ignore my feelings, but it was hard to erase something so prominent. If I ever got back, I knew I would appreciate my family a lot more. But after the things I’d seen, I didn’t know if I could go back to normal.  
My stomach rumbled. “I think that signals that I am hungry.”  
“Food sounds good,” Amber agreed.  
“You guys go,” Xander said, “I want to keep an eye on Noah. He’s going to go crazy from boredom if all of us leave.” I nodded, tapping on the glass wall to Noah’s room. He glanced up, smiling as he recognized me. I pantomimed eating a sandwich and motioned outside. He pointed at his own stomach and waved goodbye.  
“I think he’s hungry too,” I commented to Amber.  
“Mmmm.” She stared at the ground. “My tent?”  
“That’s fine.” I walked with her quietly and wondered if maybe she liked Noah. It would explain her standoffish attitude.  
“Back there, on Drakona Island, you did something that I didn’t recognize. I thought it was distortion, but it’s nothing like I’ve ever seen. Do you know what you did?”  
“I don’t know how, or why, but I know it was a skill.” I didn’t think I was convincing her very well.  
“You’re a shadower, aren’t you?” I stopped.  
“How is it that everyone knows my secrets before I’ve even figured them out?”  
“It makes sense,” she reasoned. “You told Diamond, didn’t you?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Which means the king knows as well, and I’m guessing you told Noah?”  
“Yes.” I was amazed by her logical abilities. “How did you figure that out from so little?”  
“What?” She smirked, “Just because I don’t have any skills doesn’t mean I’m not smart.”  
“I didn’t say that.”  
“You thought it.”  
“Maybe.” I blushed. For the first time, I realized how pretty Amber was. She didn’t have the flawless beauty of Diamond, but a quirky appearance that invited you to flirt. Her freckles contoured her cheeks, highlighting her sharp features.  
“Have you figured it out yet?” she asked seriously.  
“Mhh?” I wasn’t quite sure what she was talking about.  
“Being a shadower?”  
I hadn’t been expecting that question. “No. But I don’t really want to. From what I’ve heard, I’ll just bring others pain from trying harness it.”  
“It might be necessary.”  
“Necessary means it’s my only option.”  
“How many are you sure you have?” We turned right on the street, and I saw a smaller row of tents. Each were marked in color with a pale, sickly yellow.  
“It's for newcomers.” She explained. “You got an exception since you're staying with Noah, but for now I get crap.” Her tent was the fourth one down.  
She had obviously tried to liven it up. Petunias were sprinkled around the stakes, popping against the depressing yellow. She kneeled, cupping her hands around a squashed one.  
“I wish people would stop stepping on them.” She complained. “I just planted these this morning.” She scooped up its fallen leaves, crumpling them in her hand.  
“You should put up a sign,” I said stupidly, trying to lighten the mood.  
“Like that would help.” She said bitterly. Amber lifted the tent flap, beckoning me in.  
It was not what I expected.  
Glass was shattered all over the floor, crushing beneath my feet. Books had been ripped off her bookshelf, shredded to pieces among the clutter. Her food was left mostly untouched, but a pear was buried beneath the dirt.  
She gasped. “Who? Her hands fanned the glass, cutting against the shards. She threw the remains of the book in the air, pacartering as her hands grasped around the fruit.  
“What’s wrong?” I asked. Someone had vandalized her stuff, but she was still overreacting.  
She screamed, hands clawing against the dirt. “Help me!” She pleaded. I cautiously bent down and helped her sift through the mud.  
She relaxed as fingers touched metal. She sat there, breathing heavily.  
“I’m sorry.” She cleaned it off, revealing a silver ring. “It’s my one piece of inheritance.”  
“Your parents?”  
“My dad was dead before I was born. My mom gave this to me the last time I saw her, right before I was sold in to slavery.”  
“Do you-?”  
“She’s dead too.”  
I breathed. “Amber, I’m so sorry. It must have been horrible.” Her head leaned against my shoulder.  
“For a second I thought,” Her voice cracked, “I thought someone had stolen it. I couldn’t handle it if I lost it.” I could tell she was crying, and I wanted to comfort her. I just didn’t know what to say.  
“Who would do this?” I asked. The tent was completely ransacked.  
Her tears slowed. “Someone doesn’t trust me. They were looking for something, and I don’t know…It doesn’t make sense.”  
“The spy?”  
She looked at me. Knowing dawned on her face.  
“The spy.” She confirmed.

.  
Chapter 15  
The Spy  
Now I was determined to fulfill Diamond’s request. Seeing Amber like that made me mad. I was so done with everyone pushing me around here and expecting me to do their dirty work. I was going to do this for me.  
I realized Amber was calling my name. “Carter, Diamond should know.”   
“No, she doesn’t. This is up to me now. If we say anything, there’s going to be an investigation. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want someone looking through my stuff.”  
“Your right,” She agreed. I handed her a white cloth from my robe pocket. She winced as she mopped up the blood from her hands.  
“Do you need a healer?”  
“I’ll be fine. It would seem suspicious. Anyway, the cuts aren’t very deep. If I can clot the blood, it will stop gushing out like this.” I repositioned her hammock in the corner, giving her a place to sit.  
“Thanks.”  
“No problem.” She wiped up the majority of the red and began to wrap a gauze around her hands.   
“It’s panic attacks,” She explained, “I used to get them a lot when I first lost my mother. They get worse if I’m off my schedule.” Myra used to get panic attacks. They were scary, and she still had medicine for them. Amber didn’t get that luxury.  
“It’s cool.”  
“Listen, I’m going to take a nap, do you mind?”   
“Not at all.” I threw her a pillow and she laid down.   
I held my breath as she fell asleep. I was eerily reminded of Relaya watching me while I slept at the palace. Great, now I felt creepy.  
I picked up some of the intact fruit, a standard apple. It was almost weird to see normal food. Eating it was oddly comforting, reminding me I wasn’t that far away from home.   
I scoured the rest of the fruits, picking out the most familiar. I wondered if they were hybrids from our world. Maybe vice versa.  
I tried to clean up some of Amber’s stuff but felt awkward going through her things. She didn’t have much. What she did have was highly sentimental.  
Without really thinking about it, I cleared a space on the ground. I pulled an Amber and fell asleep.  
***  
“That’s flattering.” My eyes fluttered open to Noah’s recovered face.  
“Uhm…” Came my muffled reply. I must have been drooling in my sleep; my face was covered in spit. A blanket had been wrapped around my body.  
“Yeah.” He joked. I sat bolt upright, embarrassed. Glancing over, I realized Amber was gone.  
“How long was I asleep?” It had to of been at least six hours since, since Noah was out.  
“About sixteen hours. Its early morning now. Amber didn’t want to wake you up, and since you seemed so comfortable, I decided to let you sleep for another hour or so.  
“I needed that.” Food and sleep deprivation had been a problem here.  
“I can see that.” I wiped off my face, stretching fully. “Xander filled me in about what happened. I would have died without you guys. Thank you for that.” I started to speak, “I’m not done yet. They’re right about her. You must be careful around Diamond. She’s not what she seems. She will do anything to get her way. So, don’t make any more pledges to her.”  
“I’m aware.”  
“Listen I get it. She’s tricked me before. I’m telling you now, she doesn’t care about you no matter what she says.”  
It was subtle at first. Small vibrations in the dirt.  
“Do you?”   
“I feel it.” The frequency kept increasing, to the point of shaking the tent. There was brief silence, and then a deafening boom.  
We jolted out of the tent. In the distance, a fire spiraled in the air. Smoke billowed around the trees. Screams deafened my voice.  
We ran to the main building. It was impossible to see, but half of the building had imploded.  
Noah coughed on ash. “It was a deliberate explosion.” He managed. I was relieved when Xander joined our sides.  
“I can’t find Amber,” He exclaimed. “We were eating breakfast. I didn’t see her leave. The next moment, I was thrown against the wall.   
I looked in to the blazing inferno. She couldn’t be dead.   
“Split up,” I commanded, “She’s here somewhere.” We fanned out in different directions, searching frantically for a sign. I counted fourteen dead in my peripheral vision. There were at least four times as many who had lost their lives.  
I found Diamond. Not in the mood for a conversation, I tried to run past her. She saw me before I could get away.  
“Carter!” I slowed and turned. “Find anyone fleeing the scene. This was the spy’s work.”  
I made no recognition that I had heard her, continuing to search for my lost friend. She couldn’t be dead. I went sprawling on a rock, scraping my leg. I got up and kept jogging. She couldn’t be dead.   
I spotted something. Brown hair curled around a grey stone. It looked like Amber’s hair.  
She couldn’t be dead.  
I struggled to lift the debris, but I didn’t have a physical limit at the moment.  
She couldn’t be dead.  
It wasn’t her. A woman in her early twenties. Another person to grieve. But it wasn’t Amber.  
A hand found me. I turned.   
She was alive. I hugged her, suppressing happy tears.  
“What is it?” Her expression was dazed.  
“There was an explosion! We thought something had happened to you!” She seemed confused.  
“I was just having breakfast with Xander. Now you’re here. In…”   
She had just seemed to notice the wreckage.  
“Amber, are you okay?” She was about to reply when Xander tackled her with an embrace.  
“We were so worried!”  
“Xander!” He loosened his grip and caught my face. He let go.  
“What’s wrong?”  
“I think she has amnesia. At least a concussion. She doesn’t claim to remember an explosion. Amber,” she soured, “What’s three plus thirteen?”  
“Sixteen.”  
“What’s nine squared?”  
“Eighty-one.”  
“How many fingers am I holding up?”  
“Two, three, None, Five.”  
“How did you meet Xander?” She was at a loss for words.  
“I don’t- “  
“What did your mother give you that’s so important?”  
It took her well over ten seconds. “A ring,” she answered uncertainly.  
“That’s really weird,” Xander said, “She should have been all or none.”  
“It’s not a normal brain injury,” I agreed. “We should definitely have her checked out.” Around us, the chaos was slowly calming. Injuries were being tended to; dead being collected. I met eyes with Diamond a hundred yards away.  
This is why you need to help me. She seemed to say. You’re the reason these people are hurt. You can stop their pain. I shifted, pretending not to notice.  
Noah joined the group after doubling around. I told him what was going on. Meanwhile, Xander fetched a medic.  
“And she couldn’t answer memory questions?” Noah asked. We looked at her, absentmindedly staring up at the sky.  
“Somethings definitely wrong.” The medic performed the same routine I had done.  
“That’s odd.” He told himself as he massaged his temples.  
“What is it?” Xander asked.  
“She shows no internal signs of brain injury. Except for the confusion, I would say she’s perfectly healthy.”  
“That can’t be right. She completely forgot what happened.” She blissfully grinned, emphasizing my point.  
“Trauma can cause short term amnesia. Let her come to terms with it and she should be fine in a day.”  
“There’s nothing you can do?” I asked, astounded.  
“There’s nothing to do. Keep an eye on her for the next few hours. She’ll be fine.” I glared as he moved on to the next patient.  
“That’s ridiculous,” I muttered.  
“Healer’s orders,” Noah countered.  
Sixty-seven dead. Nine missing. Thirty severely injured. I couldn’t see how anyone could stand to do this. Look at death and revel in it. I couldn’t imagine anybody thinking a massacre was ever okay.  
Noah sensed my distress. “There are good people,” He assured me. His hand made a funny little spasm, like it was itching to reach out and grab my shaking hand.  
“Are there?” I asked.  
“There will always be good people. I know that for a fact.”  
“Do you?”  
“I know you’re one of them. You have peace.” It was such a cheesy line that it worked.  
I sighed. “You must be too. I just wish we weren’t as sparse and in between. If there was enough of us to protect everyone- “  
“There’s not. Nobody’s perfect, including you. But there’s good in everyone. I have to believe that.”  
“You’re right. Just discouraged in humanity.” He wrapped his arm around my neck.  
“You and me both.”  
***  
The rest of the day passed uneventfully. I spent the majority of my time cleaning the smoldering wreckage, acquiring a nasty burn on my right elbow. The rebels were yet to find the source of the explosion. They were however sure it was the spy.  
“It was only a matter of time before something like this happened,” Noah whispered to me during lunch. “The question is how we’ll retaliate.”  
I agreed. Amber had quickly returned to normal, and I had surprisingly had a successful conversation with her. She was actually pretty funny once you got past her tough demeanor. I found myself drawn in to her patient eyes.  
I spent the last hours of light watching the sun fall with my newfound friends. They were good people. I loved Noah’s sarcastic goofiness. I adored Amber’s dark humor. I couldn’t help but laugh at Xander’s rogue comedy.  
“Can I ask you guys something?” I said without thinking as Noah finished talking about how he had once accidently burnt off Mark’s eyebrows. (Thinking back, there was still an evident sparseness of growth on the soldier that could only be explained by what Noah had just told us.)  
“Anything.” Amber and Noah said almost simultaneously. I saw Xander nod from underneath a little sand pile he had dug for himself.  
I grinned. “When I go to rescue Relaya, will you all go with me?”  
“Relaya?” Amber was clearly worried. I filled her in and was glad to see she didn’t mind Relaya’s checkered past. We could all relate with being forced to do things beyond our control.  
“We’ll go with you.” Noah promised. “If she has your seal of approval, I trust her.”  
“Ditto,” Xander said.  
“We wouldn’t let you go alone.”

My heart beamed in sympathy. I had people who would do anything for me. I would do anything for them. We had genuine connections.   
Love swirled in my heart as I lay in my hammock. Noah snored across from me, fallen asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. I found it hard to let go. I was busy reliving my memories; both the good and bad. My last sight was of moonlight, shining through the tent flap, moments before my eyes closed.

And opened yet again to Noah. I attempted to speak, but his hand covered my lips. Slowly, he raised a finger to his lips. Don’t say anything, he mouthed. I nodded, stepping out of the hammock.  
“Okay,” He whispered, “We should be fine now. Just be quiet.”  
“What is it?”  
“There’s someone that’s been pacing back and forth outside our tent. They came in briefly, and I was able to pretend I was asleep. They just left for the beach.”  
“The spy?” I asked.  
“I think so. Do you want to follow them?”  
“We have too,” I said, “For those people. We have to catch them.”  
“Now?”  
“Now.”  
I peeked outside. The street was silent. “We’re in the clear,” I gave my okay and Noah followed me outside.   
For a brief second, I could make out a figure on the silent beach. They quickly disappeared behind a one of the palm trees that littered the island like spots on a ladybug.  
“I see them,” I told Noah. We stayed under the cover of trees, avoiding the moon light that could give our position away. Even if this person wasn’t the spy, they were up to something suspicious.   
We approached the sand. This might be where we might catch them, I thought to myself. Where we could finally avenge all those deaths from the explosion, and probably several others that had been caused less directly.  
“Intel is hard to give. I unfortunately have to cut off communication from here forth.” I recognized that voice. Soft and feminine, like…  
“Unfortunate, but necessary. Commence with phase three.” That was the clear rasp of the king.  
The figure had their back to us, holding a small hologram of the king.  
“Proceed with Diamond’s assassination?” No, it couldn’t be. I couldn’t believe the girl who was speaking could be a traitor.  
“Stay dormant. We will activate protocol when the invasion begins. She needs to be there when Lady Lumanine arrives.”  
“The explosion set forth with no complications. They don’t suspect a thing.”  
“Good. Remember, keep causalities as low as possible. Your goal is not to kill, just to disassemble.” She silenced the hologram, slipping its base into her pocket.  
She was the one who had set off the explosion. The one who has passing intel to the government. It all explained the reason she had attacked me.  
“Amber?”

Chapter Sixteen  
Diamond’s Island  
I was in shock. I didn’t know what to do. Amber couldn’t have betrayed us. She helped me save Noah. There was no way she was willing to give us all up.  
Noah gaped in confusion. Then it hit me.  
“It's not Amber.” She looked blissful again.  
“Mind control?” All the pieces were falling in to place.  
“That was the reason she attacked me,” I realized.  
“When did that happen?” I had forgotten I hadn’t told anyone.  
“I think its dormant. She’s not entirely aware of what she’s doing. That’s why she had amnesia. She started the explosion and didn’t remember it.”  
“She attacked you?” Noah was hung up on.  
“Not important. Do you know if this can be cured?”  
“It’s tricky, but once you're aware of who’s control, they’re under, it's pretty easy to reverse it.”  
“Probably the king.” She was starting to wander in to the water. I grabbed her hand.  
“Hey!” Her glazed eyes cleared.  
“We need to take you to Diamond,” I ordered.  
“Why?” She tried to pull away as my fingernails dug in to her skin. My feet were splashed with water.  
“Amber, you’ve been helping the king.” Noah stepped forward, “You’re dangerous.”  
“I’m not! I hate them. Why would you think that?” Her voice was rising in urgency.”  
“Amber,” I reasoned, “Then why were you outside this late?” Her hands flew to her pocket.  
“It’s a communicator,” Noah said, “And you’ve been giving them information.”  
“No, I would never!” The muscles on her arms tensed.  
“Easy. We’re not here to accuse you of anything. We just want to make sure you’re all here.”  
She made a break for it, whipping her hand off my fingers. “Leave me alone!”  
“Noah!” I screamed. He dived in to the water, blocking off her exit. I tackled her down in to the waves, hoisting her arms behind her back. Noah rushed to help me restrain her.  
She struggled against the two of us, growing desperate.  
“Hold her still,” Noah told me. Complying, I used my knees to keep her down. Her took a breath and dug his fingers in to her shoulder blades. Instantly, she grew limp. Together, we lifted her out of the sea.  
“Where’d you learn that?” I asked.  
“I used the water in her body to knock her out. Something I invented.”  
“Now I’m scared.” I gripped her legs, Noah holding her arms. Her head slumped to one side, drool leaking from her lips. “Let’s take her in.”   
It was slow work, especially with water holding us down.  
“Geez, why is Amber so heavy?”  
“I recommend you not say that when she’s awake.” He said seriously.  
“Noted. I don’t want her to try to fight me again.” We made it to the makeshift main building, a pavilion measuring just over six feet long. A failing lookout snored on the southwest pole.  
I snapped my fingers next to his ear. “Wha-?”  
“Where’s Diamond?”  
“I dunnow- “he answered groggily.  
“It’s kind of important.”  
“Nobody knows where she goes at night. She just leaves for the Southside of the island. Rumor has it she has a cabin there.”  
I looked at Noah. “What do you think?”  
“Are you proposing a midnight trip?” His eyes gleamed with excitement.  
“I’m asking if you think we should. There’s no way we can take her,” I pointed to Amber, who was slumped on the ground with Noah holding one hand up.  
He looked down. “Definitely no. I am curious.”  
“What will we do with her?”  
“I can get Xander to babysit.” He promised.  
“He’ll love that.” I rolled my eyes. We carried Amber to his tent, accidently bumping her head on the ground at least five or six times. As if mind control wasn’t enough brain trouble.  
I winced as we set her down. She stirred muttering something unintelligible.   
“Okay,” Noah giggled, “It might be just me, but I’m fairly sure she just said she loves socks.” Probably. We woke Xander with trouble, insisting that it wasn’t morning. Mentioning Amber’s “walk” finally aroused him.  
“How long will she be out?” He asked.  
“At least another few hours. I made sure she wouldn’t fight back.”  
“You all set?”  
“I’m fine. No promises I won’t fall asleep.”  
“Don’t let her blow anything up,” I said sternly.  
“I will,” he assured us.  
“Ready?”  
“Let’s go.”  
***  
The jungle behind the base was thick, and along with the fact we had no clear directions, it was slow progress. I ran into so many cobwebs I was considering making a Kevlar suit.  
“She’s very reclusive, isn’t she?” Quite an understatement. It took us over an hour, but we finally made out a faded path. Glittered stones dusted for miles.  
“Diamonds.” Noah pointed, “Ironic.”  
“I wonder if it was purposeful.” Knowing her, the entire cabin was forged from the material.  
It was much easier to travel without having to worry about the undergrowth. Fresh sandal prints confirmed someone had passed by recently.  
“Look,” Noah followed my finger. With strained eyes, you could just barely make out a bridge.  
“That’s our destination.” The path widened, and we got a better view. The bridge was intricately carved from balsa wood, railings curving around the edge of the jungle.  
Overhead, there was a house. Not a house from Latuga, instead an exact copy of a regular suburban home from my world. The only difference was the obnoxiously painted putrid green color. Maybe not so different.  
“Odd architecture,” Noah said.  
“It’s like the United States. That’s what our neighborhoods looked like.”  
Noah sniffed, “You guys have bad taste in color schemes.” I didn’t bother explaining.  
We trudged over the bridge, conveniently inlaid with angled steps.  
“I do wonder how she built it.”  
“She is a creator. She could have easily seen a model or picture. Construction should have been easy for her after that. It still didn’t sit right.   
Surprisingly, there was a doorbell. Not knowing how to get Diamond’s attention, I rang it.  
“Be subtle,” Noah whispered to me, “Don’t exaggerate the details.”   
She answered within twenty seconds, mildly confused. “How did you find me? Nobody knows about this place except me.”  
“There was a rumor.” Noah supplied.  
“I see. And what do I owe the pleasure so late in the night?”  
“I found your spy.”  
“Now that is good news. Hold on, I don’t suppose you two want to come in?” We stepped through the doormat.  
There was a flat screen TV. A coffee table. A gumball machine. Normal things that I recognized. Things Diamond shouldn’t have known about.  
“Do you get power all the way out here? You’d have to run them pretty far from a source.”  
“The wires are distorted to a space in our world, drawing energy from there.” Her sentence confirmed my suspicions.   
“You’re from Earth?”  
“It’s been awhile.”  
My jaw dropped, “How? When? Why?”  
She casually rolled up her sleeve, revealing an S permanently burned into her arm. “I was eight when they took me. When I earned my freedom, I vowed that I would end the regime once and for all.”  
“Don’t you miss your family? How have you been gone so long?” I could never be away that long. Sure, Myra could be a pain, and my parents a little self-centered, but I knew deep down they were good people.  
“I have nothing to return to. My family abandoned me before I remember, and I grew up on the streets. Honestly, I’ve made better connections with people here. At the same time, I can have the technology.” She extended her arm, a grandeur gesture of the room.   
I nodded at the T.V, “Shouldn’t that be an older model?”  
She was impressed, “Observant, aren’t you? No, I’ve heard stories from others. I wanted to catch up with the times.”   
Something was nagging at me, “So why don’t you all have technology? You could revolutionize warfare.”  
Noah, who had remained silent, chose that moment to speak. “It goes haywire. Too easily distorted. There was a big push for a transition a few decades ago, and pretty soon it was clear it was entirely unnecessary.”  
“I was able to isolate some here,” Diamond filled in, “Without anybody around, it can function decently. That’s why I like to keep it a secret.” I glanced at Noah, who was completely out of place.  
“Now you know how I feel.” I told him.  
“Not nearly enough,” He mumbled.  
Despite the sophistication of the house, it had an empty quality, like someone hadn’t lived there for years. The decorations were all skillfully placed, the details exacted upon. It was too perfect.  
“You wonder where I spend the majority of my time?” God, was she psychic too?  
“Not to rude, but we have information.” Noah interrupted impatiently.  
“Trust me, this is relevant. Follow me.” There was a rotting door to the side of the kitchen that had previously gone unnoticed. In opposite to the icy perfection of the rest of the house, it was molded and obviously well used.  
“Where’s that go to, the bathroom?” I could tell what Noah was talking about. An odd smell perpetuated from behind the door, an untraceable mix of dead fish and wet dog.  
“It’s old.” She said, opening the door and stepping down in to a basement. The nauseating smell tripled.  
“No duh.” I whispered to Noah, as we followed her.  
“I can hear you,” She commented with annoyance.  
“Sorry,” I apologized sheepishly. Diamond didn’t reply.  
The basement stairs creaked in agony, dipping as my weight pressed upon them. With one wrong step, I was worried they would collapse. I counted at least sixty steps, meaning we were deep underground. Like the palace.  
The staircase abruptly stopped, opening into a small cavern.   
I gasped. “How did you make this?” Around us were piles of intricate machines and weapons, war maps and potions. The stockpile was enormous, enough to fund an army.  
“It wasn’t me. I found this place a while ago, and it was empty of anyone. I had no idea who built it. That was…until I this.” The rebel grabbed a dog-eared book off the nearest table. Opening it to the near end, she thrust it in to my hands. Noah read it over my shoulder.  
My father nears death, and it is at this period that I fear I must abandon my bunker. If time yields, I seek to return, but I reason this may be my last day. If anyone ever reads this diary, I hope for you to use my base for good, to help others, and not how I have done.  
I’m scared the position as king will corrupt me, that my skill as a shadower will consume me. I apologize. I cannot let the others ascend, or chaos will ensue in Latuga.  
My heart is pure, but my head is tainted. I am doomed to fail. Goodbye.  
-Will Scarlet  
(Be wary of the inventions.)  
The diary ended. I didn’t see a point to the vague entry.  
“What do you make of it?” Diamond asked.  
“I have no idea.”  
“Noah?” I wondered if he had understood any more about the excerpt then I had.  
The teen was deep in thought, the clues clicking together in place. “It’s him isn’t it? This place belonged to the king?”  
“Exactly.” I was mildly confused, but it made sense.   
“His name is Will?” I said stupidly. They both looked at me dubiously.  
“Applicable how?” Noah inquired.  
“I thought it was funny.” I blushed.  
“Regardless, this means an invasion is inevitable. If the king has already discovered this location, it means he can get in, with or without a spy.”   
“So, why’d I have to find the mole?”  
“So an explosion won’t happen again you dunderhead!” I reddened again. Duh.  
“Who was it?” Diamond solicited.   
“Amber.”  
“We think her mind was being manipulated,” I added, not wanting for Diamond to unfairly punish her.  
“Interesting then for her to give the invasion date. Reverse psychology, perhaps?”  
“She wasn’t fully under their control. Maybe she was acting on her own accord.”  
“Maybe…”  
“I think you should prepare anyway. Better to be safe than sorry.”  
“That’s a plan.”  
“Will you use the stuff down here? Certainly that will ease the causalities.”  
“I’m not ever going to bring this stuff out. It could destroy everything. It’s why I set up here-to stop the king from using it.” What did you know? Diamond had morals too.  
“Surely it can’t be that bad?”   
“Look.” She picked up a minuscule vial. “This poison has the power to kill anything, no matter the dosage.” She set it down, replacing the flask with a sword, “This weapon merges with the user’s skills, making the user virtually indestructible.” She picked up a large marble. “This ‘toy’ when set in fire and snow, will reverse the globes poles and obliterate Latuga. No, none of these things should ever, under any circumstances be used.” I agreed.  
“Don’t you ever get selfish?” Noah marveled. “Holed up in all of this power?”  
“I can’t afford to,” She put simply. “Listen, I know you two see me as bad, but I’ll I’m looking for is the preservation of humanity.” It’s not your intentions I was worried about, I thought. It was your methods.  
“There is however one item I have allowed myself to use.” We trailed her to the back of the room. On a circular table, was an entire map of Latuga. “This map is the only complete one in Latuga. It shows everything, outside the majority of the uninhabitable, including distortion lines, outpost, and major landmarks. It’s helped a great deal.”  
“That’s priceless,” the two of us gazed in awe. It had every detail, every island, every city.  
“It adjusts itself too.” She trained her eyesight on an empty space northeast of the base. “That was Drakona Island before the majority of it was burned to a crisp.” I focused and could make out traces of land.  
“We couldn’t have burned it all down,” I doubted.  
“The island was mostly plant matter. What was substantial was mostly under the surface.”  
Noah laid his finger on a near side of the map. “What’s that? It shouldn’t be there. I know those seas in and out, and I’ve never seen an island there.  
“I call that prophecy island. It blinks in and out of existence as it pleases, protected by an inverted distortion line.” That’s so possible. I wondered how much power it would take to shroud an entire island from reality.  
“It’s where you heard it, didn’t you?” I referred to the divination Diamond had shared with me.  
She pursed her lips, “Precisely.”  
“What are you talking about?” Noah wondered, lost.  
“You haven’t yet told him of your destiny?” She accused.  
“Supposed destiny,” I corrected. “One by one the islands- “  
“Not here!” She hissed. “Not now. Inform him when you can. You remember it all?  
It would forever be burned in my head, “Of course.”  
“Good. I know you think it is of little importance, but it will determine your fate.” Her words chilled me.  
“I don’t believe in fate.”  
She expressed amusement, “If you had seen the things that I have, believe me, you would.”  
“We’ll see.”  
“Can someone please explain what’s going on?” Noah was exasperated.  
“Later,” I promised. He didn’t look happy.  
“You can try to avoid it, but it will find you. So don’t run, embrace it.”  
I rolled my eyes, “Whatever.”  
Upstairs, we heard the faint sound of a doorbell. I jumped, losing my tenseness.  
“You didn’t have anyone follow you?” Diamond shifted.  
“No, when we left, everyone was asleep.”  
She cursed under her breath, “Ten years of isolation and then I have two visits in one night. You certainly are changing things up Carter.”  
“That’s me.”  
With a mild sense of urgency, we climbed back up the steps. I sneezed as mold filled the air again.  
I wondered who it could be. Only two hours had passed since we had confronted Amber, so daybreak could have not yet arrived. Something major must have occurred. I hoped Amber wasn’t responsible.  
Diamond tenderly opened the door, her face calming as our sight fell on Xander.  
“Why are you here Xander?” I expected him to be taken aback by the house, but instead seemed apprehensive.  
He seemed at a loss for words, extremely out of breath. “How’d you find us?” Noah pushed.  
“Ran…all the…way here…Noah…left…his…sandal…tracks…” He gulped for air.  
“Why are you so tired?” He was extremely anxious and fidgety. “Where’s Amber? She didn’t do anything?”  
“No…Not her…Someone else…” He said in between ragged breaths.  
“What happened then?”   
He was finally able to talk sense. “Lady Lumanine came under white flag. Threatening to kill…to kill Relaya. We tried to reason with her, but she says the only way Relaya lives is if she can talk to Carter.”

Chapter Seventeen  
White Flag  
Not Relaya. I had thought that I had more time.   
They had found my one weakness.  
“Carter,” Noah laid a hand on my shoulder. I shrugged him off.  
“They’re going to ask for you in exchange for her. They know how your work. If you think you can save your friend by turning yourself in, they’ll do it.”  
“We could try and stall them,” Supplied Noah, “Divert their attention while we rescue her.”  
“I’m not running. I’m turning myself in.”  
“Don’t be an idiot,” Noah said, “So maybe we can- “  
“You’re not listening to me. I’m not going to let anyone die for me. I promised myself that I was going to set Relaya free, and I’m going to do it.”  
“No you’re not,” Diamond ordered. “You don’t have any idea what they’ll do to you. What you’re worth.”  
“Shut up,” Under any other circumstances, I would have been politer; this wasn’t a normal occasion. “Like you care about me at all. You just want to win the war. “  
“Well of course I do! So we stop having worry about trading human lives!” Her opinion was valid, but I didn’t care.  
“Whatever. There’s nothing you can do. I’m my own force.”  
“We’re not going to stop you,” Noah said, “Just telling you to think about what you’re doing.”  
“Great, you’re going to pick this moment to start agreeing with her!”  
“What’s that supposed to mean?”  
“That you can- “  
“Um guys, I don’t mean to intrude, but we’re kind of on a time constraint.” Xander was helpless.  
“He’s right,” I scorned.  
“You’re not giving yourself up! You don’t understand what you’re doing!”  
“What do you care? You’re just like her!”  
‘You don’t know what you’re talking about,” He murmured nearly inaudibly.  
“There’s no point in arguing,” Diamond chimed in. “We don’t even know what Lady Lumanine wants.”  
“Yeah, she’s just going to ask for an apology, hand over Relaya, and call it a day!”  
“That’s not what I meant.”  
I ignored her, pushing past outside, and on to the bridge. I didn’t wait for the three of them to follow.   
I sprinted down the path, tears rushing down my face. I’d been horrible, and I wished they could just understand why I had to this. I couldn’t live with myself if Relaya died.  
I unheeded to their calls, running like my more than my life depended on it. Because Relaya’s did.  
When I arrived, the rebels were racing around like the world was ending. I saw Mark arguing with an ancient lady near the makeshift main building.  
“Where is she?” I demanded. I didn’t even have to use her name.  
“On her boat at the beach. We just don’t understand how she got past the distortion line.”  
“The base was infiltrated a long time ago.”  
“How did you know-?”  
I didn’t hear the rest of his question, because I was racing down the streets. Rebels I had never even met were screaming my name, trying to warn me about Relaya.   
I didn’t really care.  
On the exact spot we had apprehended Amber, a medium boat was anchored in the sand. On board, four guards surrounded Lady Lumanine, who stood patiently waving a bleached flag.  
I dashed down the beach, screaming to a stop at her posse. “Give her back!” I screeched, my vocal cords straining in sympathy. She leered.  
The guards let down a wooden board to descend upon the rebel base.  
“Carter don’t be so naïve. We’re are no unreasonable. But we’re not going to just give you Relaya. How would that be a smart strategic move?” I was at a loss for words. What they were doing was wrong. Couldn’t they see that?  
I stepped back as she trudged through the sand. The flag’s pole, though not a weapon, had an impending aura.   
“I’m not going to fight you. I know perfectly well what you want. I’m giving it to you. Replace me with Relaya.”  
“Carter, we haven’t even gone over the terms. Who said I was willing to bargain for her? I could be here to deliver you a message.” We hadn’t considered that.  
“Well, are you?”  
“No.”  
I hands up in the air, “So what do you want?”  
“You didn’t let me finish. We have decided that Relaya is no longer a valuable asset. After years of torture and breaking, her will has not been scratched. You on the other hand, are much more susceptible.  
I offer you a choice. One, you can let her die in exactly forty-eight hours’ time. Or, you can pledge yourself to the king. Surrender yourself to the cause, and we will let her go.”  
“Not an option.” Diamond materialized on my left side, Noah on my right, “Carter, whatever you think you’re doing, you can’t give yourself up. She just wants to trick you.”  
“Maybe I want to be tricked,” I spat.  
“Don’t be spiteful,” Noah complained, “She’s right you know. Even if you turn yourself in, there’s no guarantee that she’ll live. Their promises mean nothing.”  
Lady Lumanine’s pearl earrings flickered in the moonlight. “I can give you an oath. Of what use is it to us to keep her? She has showed, time and time again, that she will never be compliant. The next step is termination. It wouldn’t be any different if she returned to earth.”  
“Where is she?”  
“Relaya is being held on Primo island, under the protection of several governors. I warn you; a rescue mission will only end in both your peril. Travel there with me, and we can make an exchange.”  
“He’s not going without protection!” Diamond proclaimed.  
I made a one-eighty. “Can you stop speaking for me? I can make my own decisions. If I want to give myself up, I can. I’m my own person.”  
“You lost that privilege the moment you vowed to help me win the war. You can’t break my oaths Carter. The guilt will eat you away.” I assumed she meant magically.  
Lady Lumanine smashed he pole into the ground. “Silence. I wish to speak to Carter alone.”  
“Like hell you are!” Noah’s hand formed a fist, preparing for a fight. I felt a surge of both affection and annoyance towards Noah’s statement.   
“That would be foolish,” Lady Lumanine mused. “If the other officials caught wind of my death, Relaya would face certain execution.  
“You’re that certain, are you? Who would tell them? We could get away with it.” I knew that I was implying outright murder.  
“Isn’t that the very thing you’re fighting against? If you win this war and do not retain your ethics, there was no point in fighting at all. May I ask a question?” I nodded as I glared.  
“The point of this revolution, of any revolution, is to prove the government wrong. If you go so far as to stoop to ‘our’ level, how does that make you better equipped to lead?”  
“Leaders have to make tough sacrifices,” Diamond answered.  
“Who are they to decide who lives and dies?”  
“That defeats your own philosophy,” I countered, “You’re the ones who want to kill Relaya.”  
“Just as you want to kill me. If you want war, your side is at a clear disadvantage. We can employ any tactics, any tricks, any strategy to triumph. You must keep your own hypocrisy at bay if you want support of the people.”  
“I don’t care about the rebels,” I said somewhat truthfully. “My problem is getting home. And I don’t care how I do it!”  
“How could you live with yourself, returning back home to a simple life? Your regrets would haunt you forever. Always out of place, you would be the remnant of a ghost, never able to truly be the same.”  
“You don’t know me.”   
“We’re all the same.”  
I sized up the guards. They were all of medium height, so they deductively had hidden skills. If I could surprise them, catch them off guard…  
Diamond felt my anger, “Don’t,” she warned.  
“Why not?” I screamed back at her.  
“Your actions have consequences for others. Your decisions aren’t just about you. Think about what you plan to do, and tread with caution.”  
I was thinking about what I was about to. These people were nothing but bad, and wanted to backstab, trick, and double-cross me at every angle. If Relaya was going to die, she needed vengeance.  
By the time Lady Lumanine realized what I was about to do, it was too late. I pounced and yanked a dagger out of the front guard’s sheath, simultaneously plunging in to her heart.  
In shock, I was unable to think. Luckily, Diamond caught wind of my frozen stupor and dispatched the guards with ease. She moved with such grace and finesse that it was as if she had been playing with knives from childhood.  
In the end, it looked like they hadn't been planning on a fight. After all, we were the ones who had ultimately broken the white flag. I didn’t even know the repercussions of that here.  
I had just killed somebody. A living breathing human. They said I was just as bad as them, but I disagreed. I was worse.  
“That was incredibly stupid of you,” Diamond lectured, “We are fortunate that they had no one watching the fight. If they had seen you kill her, we would have a one-ticket in to one of the bloodiest battles the rebels have ever seen.”  
“Do you ever know when to zip it!” Noah retorted. I collapsed on the ground, knees pointing towards Lady Lumanine’s corpse. I had killed her.  
Tears found me again, and the two of them paused their quarrel. “It’s ok,” Noah tried to soothe my messy sobs, “It’s not your fault.”   
It was. There was a part of me that I had never known, the part willing to take another’s life away out of sheer anger. I had accomplished nothing.  
They mingled around me, Amber (recently healed,) and Xander briefly visiting me. They tried to bring comfort, unaware that I wasn’t listening. I knew deep down, they were repulsed.  
I just couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that I would let myself murder someone. It wasn’t me.  
An inkling of a possibility began to sprout in the back of my head.  
Maybe it wasn’t you. Maybe your mind is being controlled, like Ambers. Maybe being a shadower is affecting you, changing you.  
It would be wrong to embrace those thoughts. A disgrace to Lady Lumanine. As much as I wanted to believe it, nobody else had killed her. I was the one who had stabbed her, and I was the one who should take responsibility.

One at a time, they left me alone. First Diamond, then Amber, then Xander. Noah lingered longer than the rest, eventually realizing there was no hope in neutralizing my melancholy.  
I would sit here for the rest of the night, to honor her. Corrupt as she was, no one deserved a fate like that. Back home, I was a big advocate of ending capital punishment. Never did I think that I would be the one to break it.  
My stomach growled in anger, but I wasn’t hungry. A rock was slowly cutting in to my leg, opening a gash I had acquired from Drakona Island. It didn’t matter.  
I made my mind up about something. This sacrifice wasn’t going to be in vain. I was still going to get back Relaya, whatever the cost. I didn’t know how and didn’t want worry about that. I couldn’t be responsible for a second murder.  
When daybreak arrived, I stirred. Behind me, a collection of interested rebels had been watching my prolonged silence in awe. I was annoyed that they admired me. They should have been crying g in synchronization with me.  
Three brave souls sat next to me again. My friends.  
For one more minute, we all sat in peace, thinking. Amber was the first to speak.  
“So when are we leaving?”  
“What are you talking about?” I asked hoarsely.  
“To rescue Relaya of course,” She said simply, “We’re going with you. You made us promise to help.”   
“I changed my mind.” I said, “You guys shouldn’t come. It would be bad enough if I got captured, but it would be a million times worse if we were all taken prisoners.”  
“Hey, if you get to be stubborn, so do we,” Noah said, “The more backup you have, the better.”  
“It’s three to one, majority rules,” Xander added his vote.  
I exhaled. I knew there was no way I could change their minds. “I want leave now.”  
“Now?”  
“Relaya’s on Primo island. We have between forty-eight and forty-five hours, to sail there, rescue her, and get off the island. If there’s any hope of saving her, it has to be now.”  
“We’re in,” They said together.

Chapter Eighteen  
The Gauntlet  
The first twelve hours were completely uneventful. Then we found the floating island.  
Amber and Xander snored in the boat’s corner, curled in two identical small balls. Noah had pledged to propel the boat the first half of the mission, Xander the second half.  
Noah explained that there was no time for any error. At top speed, he promised that they could get us there in about forty-two hours. We had spent less than an hour preparing, the majority of which went towards sneaking a working vessel out of camp. That allotted just barely two hours to infiltrate Primo Island and escape.  
It had been quite boring, but the numb feeling quailed to my lasting shock. The roar of the ocean was far too loud for me to have a realistic conversation, and I had nothing else to entertain myself for. I was quickly finding myself sick of water.   
This time I focused on the distinct color change in the waves as we re-entered the populated zone. Perhaps it was my imagination, but I could feel dimensions shimmer as we crossed the distortion line. We raced by the piggy island, though I wasn’t quite sure of the name, or even if Noah had told me.  
Sunset dawned and my eyes began to deceive me. Fish danced in my imagination, spiraling around their marine habitat. I conjured up a horrible storm. Up ahead, I pictured an enormous black box.  
Except that wasn’t my imagination. There actually was an onyx black cube on the skyline, less than a mile away.  
I stiffened, peaking at Noah to see if his eyesight harmonized with mine. He was in the zone, gracefully pulling his arms with the water.  
“Noah!” I snapped his attention. “Do you see that?” He went from expressionless to mildly confused. His concentration shifted to the obscure shape.  
“That shouldn’t be here. I’ve been through these seas countless times, and I’ve never spotted anything like that.” Before he could slow the vessel, the water darkened to gloomily match the box.  
“That’s a distortion line,” I realized. But that didn’t make sense. As far as I knew, neither Noah nor I had ever crossed the cubes mark.  
Noah phrased it better, “It’s paradoxical. Distortion lines are supposed to keep people out, but if this one is accessible from the inside…” He made a sharp angle away from the island. We were clearly about two thousand feet away from the sea’s variation in hue, but no matter how fast Noah went, distance was not gained.  
After a final desperate attempt, Noah collapsed to the wood. “Just as I suspected.”  
“What are you talking about?”  
“It’s reversed.” Comprehension was gaining, “See, in a normal distortion line, you can leave at any time, but this place is just the opposite. Anyone can go in, and only those who are shown the way can get out. If I’m right, the only way has something to do with that.” We both looked at shady expanse.  
I cursed under my breath, “Why did it have to be now? Relaya is in danger.”  
“We still have a shot. This could be easy.” We both distrusted that statement.  
Together we roused the drowsing duo, describing our situation to little avail. Ultimately, we had to attempt diversion from the island once again. It was several minutes before they were satisfied with our claims.   
We advanced towards the cube, clarifying its dull features. It encompassed five hundred feet in every direction, seemingly identical on ever side.  
Beneath it there was no sand, no attachment whatsoever to the earth. It floated ever so slightly above the reach of the waves, which were lapping against the polished floors.  
“There’s nothing.”   
We encircled it several times, four, five, six. There was no opening anywhere.  
“There has to be a trick. We can’t just die here.” Noah was right. Time was slipping by. Time we couldn’t lose.  
Something flashed in my eyes. A distant memory. Unimportant at the time, now it could save our lives. ‘It blinks in and out of existence as it pleases, protected by an inverted distortion line.’   
“Guys, its prophecy island! Diamond told me about it. It gives you predictions!” The three of them were skeptical. If I was in their situation, I would have been too.  
“That doesn’t mean they’re real,” I continued, “They’re are just predictions. It could be coincidental happenings.”  
I ran my fingers against its surface. I had expected it to be cold like metal, but slow warmth covered my hand. I knew what I had to do.  
“We come in search of divination.” I said. Spontaneously, a door materialized on my pointer finger. “There we go.”   
“No.” Amber said bluntly. We all twisted toward her. “It’s not natural. I don’t want to go.”  
“So you’d rather spend the last week of your life dying of dehydration and hunger?”  
“No! I just think we should mull it over.”  
I was getting annoyed, “We don’t have the time! We’ve spent at least fifteen minutes here already, anymore, and I’m afraid we’ll never get Relaya back!”  
She put on a brave face, “Just give me a second.” She stretched, “Okay, I’m ready.”

As soon as the four of us squatted through the door, it hardened in to stone again. There was no going back now.  
I looked ahead, straining my eyes for illumination. I could make out nothing.  
An autotuned voice of neutral gender echoed through the corridor. “Welcome learners of the future. Certain requirements have been created to minimize wrongdoing. If dishonesty or lacking qualities become apparent, immediate execution will happen. Listen closely to the following descriptions.  
Six in total should travel these halls, four in groups, two walk alone. Split in half of color, bisecting once again for attraction. Two have been of otherworldly origins, never to rest in both worlds. All but one has been enslaved, all of which set free. Four will protest the government, two will descend to the dying monarchy. Normal instruction resumes. For those positive of their status, please step forward. For those unsure, sixty seconds will follow to grasp their place. For trespassers, see above penalty.” The message repeated.  
“Thank you for listening. Decisions should now be made with caution.” The voice faded, and panic ensued.   
“It’s impossible to know!” Noah complained. “I mean obviously we all have to step forward, but if we don’t fit, this is a certain death trap.”  
“Exactly,” Xander kicked the right wall.  
“Why would the island show itself to us if we weren’t the ones?” I wondered. Nobody had answers.  
A light blinked on ten feet down. We all hurried towards the lone bulb.  
“Please place personal flesh on to the bulb.” We complied without complication.  
‘Good news,” the voice said cheerfully. “You have been confirmed.” Thank god. “As a final precaution, several trials have been created to reach the corresponding prophecy. Good luck.”  
The hall groaned, shifting open a second path. Overabundantly lit by torches, it blinded our eyes for a moment. It too, ended abruptly.   
“Trial one. Solve the puzzle without total intoxication. Begin now.” Another door materialized, leading in to a medium sized room. It was empty except for a small pedestal presenting a slide puzzle.  
Amber volunteered, “I’m good with puzzles. Let me.” I knew there was no way I could outclass her, so I didn’t argue.   
She marched on to the platform. The base slid to the ground level, and nearly after, a violet gas began to leak out of unseen holes. The gas curled around the walls, shrouding our vision of the enclosure.  
“It’s a sedative,” Noah warned, bringing his robe to his lips, and filtering the air.   
Amber began to slide the pieces around, a collection of letters and numbers. She was extremely confident with her abilities, commanding the tiles to work together. For a brief moment, the square pieces got jammed, stuck between each other. Frustrated, Amber lost several seconds.  
I giggled. “We’re doing a puzzle,” I laughed. Xander chuckled uncontrollably.  
“You guys,” Noah’s tone was alarmed, “Stop breathing it in. It tranquilizes your focus.” Listening, I fell out of the trance, attempting to hold my breath. Xander wasn’t so lucky, as he lazily slapped his hand to his mouth, grinning like he had won the lottery, and then collapsed like spaghetti to the floor.  
Amber’s progress slowed as the vapor filled her nasal passages. Determined, she continued to solve the right corner of the puzzle. Sweat covered her cheeks, temples enlarged. We circled her, trying to make sense of the patterns.  
“Maybe pill?” I suggested, spotting the double consonants. The majority of the tiles held one letter, and it caught my eye with the two of them grouped together. Her brow furrowed more intensely.  
“I tried that. I think it might be Will, as in the king, but I can’t find a way to put them together.” She dizzied on the platform, and I knew before long she would be incapacitated.  
“Amber-,” I tried to warn her, but she stubbornly remained on the platform.  
“I’m fine.” She steadied herself, laying her hands back on the wedges. The bottom right corner found its home, an empty piece that locked in to the right angle.  
Her cognitive reasoning continued to deteriorate, and she spent extended periods inhaling the air. With each lungful, her expression calmed, increasing her intoxication.  
“Step down, before you collapse,” I instructed, moments before she hit the ground. I carefully carried her unconscious body away to an empty spot on the floor, racing to take her place.  
At the lowest row, the word PASS had been strung together. I unwillingly changed its position, allowing for the letter I to pass through. The puzzle required you to go back to move forward, deleting advancements, to birth new ones.  
Without my robe to strain my airway, the haze hit me much harder. My eyesight blurred and blinked in and out of focus. I solved the second word. SIX.  
I was nearing endgame now, fixing together the final pieces. Then I realized I had built myself a corner, barring the last word from forming. I obliviated the majority of the jigsaw, hurriedly connecting them back together again. So close…  
My knees buckled, and I banged my elbow against the table. I sank to the floor, winking in and out of consciousness.  
I glimpsed Noah above me, putting together the phrase. He seemed extremely uncomfortable with the prospect, but he forged on ahead. I took one last, shaky, breath, hitting my head as my head as I fell in to a deep sleep.  
My dimension mixed between reality and dreams, apparitions of my past experiences. I could feel the gas affecting my visions, conveying nightmarish illusions.  
Relaya was back.  
I saw her, alone, in a prison cell, crying for help. The cell was desolate, complete isolation for her final days. Her beautiful brown hair was tangled on her neck, her skin marred and bloodied.  
“I’m sorry,” she managed. She raised her bruised arm, exposing her injured belly. Blood oozed from the site, a sickly gangrene color.  
“I’m sorry.” I called back. “I didn’t mean for this to happen to you. I’m coming.”  
Her eyes grew as large as saucers. “Carter? How-? Nevermind, it’s not important. Listen to me, don’t try to rescue me. Let me die, you don’t know what I…” Her voice got fainter, echoing around my ears. The prison disappeared.  
Noah was shaking me awake. “Carter! We’ve got to hurry!” I jumped to my feet, further rousing Xander and Amber.  
“Relaya’s in trouble.” I rasped. It wasn’t just a dream; it was far too real. It had to be a vision. “She’s getting desperate. How long was I out?”  
“Just over five minutes. But- “  
“You solved the puzzle?”  
“Yes, but-,”  
“So, we still have a shot- “  
“Carter listen to me! They saw them too,” He gestured to his brother and the escaped slave, “They’re not real. Just a trick of the magic here.”  
“But-,”  
“No! For once will you actually hear what I’m saying! By my calculations, we have about twenty minutes left in spare if we want to reach the deadline. It’s fine if you spend that wallowing in your own self-absorbed day-dreams, but if you want to save Relaya we have to go now!”  
“Sorry,” I said sheepishly. Noah’s face paled and returned to its normal color.  
“I’m sorry too.”  
The voice rang out in perfect timing, “Trial two. Four options lie ahead of you, each inhibiting your senses. Choose, and proceed in to the marked room.” Ahead, there was a table with four identically shaped vials. Hearing, sight, taste, touch.  
“What do you guys think?” Xander asked, picking up the sight container.  
“Each corresponding bottle numbs one of your senses,” I said.  
“The task behind the door probably associates with the lost ability,” Noah mused.  
“That’s smart,” I complimented, “So it would be extremely difficult to accomplish.”  
“I’ll take taste,” Amber said, picking up the oily green vial. Of course, she would take the easiest.  
“I can do without seeing,” Noah said, “People are ugly enough as is.”  
“I’ll take hearing,” I bounced off of him, “To block you out.” He stuck his tongue out.  
“I guess that leaves me with touch,” Xander sighed, looking unenthusiastically at his oily black flask.  
I stared down at my own bottle, which appeared by general consensus the best looking. It was a golden watery liquid, with a hint of a slimy base. To be fair, I didn’t think anyone was looking forward to it.  
“Now or never,” I said, uncorking my flask and downing the contents.  
I shivered in horrible expectation. Noah resisted gagging on his potion. It wasn’t the taste; in contrast, it was lack thereof it.   
I finished the vial, covering my mouth to ensure it all went down. Xander finished his as well, attempting to say something without success.  
No, he had said something. My hearing was gone. It was eerie not to hear the background noise, the echo of the floor and movement of my footsteps. Without the ability to hear, the world was quite literally, deafening.  
I waved to my friends, walking toward the left, central door. Before I stepped underneath the sign, I glanced back at the other three. Xander was curiously feeling his bottle, tilting his head in confusion. Noah stumbled around blindly, Amber half carrying, half leading him into the right room. I stepped through the archway, which instantly solidified behind me, barring my escape.  
There were speakers surrounding me, but due to my disability, I couldn’t tell if they were playing anything. A simple keypad was at the back of the chamber, covered with standard vowels and consonants in alphabetical order.  
I was unsure of how to proceed. Without question, a message would play out of the amplifiers. There would be no way to receive the audio and insert it in to the keyboard.  
I developed an awareness of vibration, brief tremors sounding out. I wondered if it was conveying Morse code.  
I laid my hand on the closest speaker. It variated between long and short shakes, having no particular pattern. I attempted to cypher the message, but with no success. I should have known. It was doubtful that they would use Morse code on Latuga.  
Three quick pulses, one extended one. One quick one, one extended one. Eighteen quick ones, one extended one.  
I realized something. The long ones represented spaces, in between words maybe. I collected a pile of dust, drawing out the data with my finger. 20-5-18-3-1-18 repeat.   
Not complicated at all. A simple letter number cryptogram, where each number was symbolic of a letter. T-E-R-C-A-R.  
For a moment, I became discouraged. If I only had one shot to enter my answer, this was a long shot. I had no idea what a tercar, or how it related to the prophecy whatsoever.  
When the realization came to me, I was embarrassed of my stupidity. Of course, the letters were out of order. The chances I had started from the beginning were quite low.  
Not E-R-C-A-R-T. Not R-C-A-R-T-E. C-A-R-T-E-R. My name. The hairs on my spine rose in terrifying awareness. That was no coincidence.   
I trudged over to the keypad, carefully entering in the six letters. As soon as I pressed the second R, the entire wall sprung open. The hinge shuttered, rust floating to the ground from friction. Amber was already there, pacing back and forth.  
She handed me a bottle, identical to the last one. I downed the contents, this time more prepared for the wretched texture. My hearing quickly rebounded back, and it became increasingly satisfying to hear even light noises.  
“That was not a pleasant experience,” She recalled to me, frantically wiping off her tongue.  
“What’d you have to do?” I asked, referencing her room.  
She looked at me, right eye twitching, “It’s better if you don’t.” I wasn’t quite sure how to reply.  
“Okay…I just had to solve a code that was amplifying from speakers.”  
“I saw,” She said, stepping out the way and revealing a small screen. It was divided equally between four views, two of which showing Noah’s and Xander’s rooms, the other two empty.  
“I tried screaming through the walls to give them the answers, but it’s obviously sound-proofed,” She said. “The answer’s just each of our names.”  
Noah’s back wall sprung open, Noah calling out hoarsely. “I can’t, I can’t see. Someone please help.” He collided with Amber, toppling the both of them down. I yanked his bottle from a table, pulling him up and steadying the vial.  
“Oh, that’s better,” He blinked, pupils dilating. “I’m very bad at feeling bumps.”  
“Braille,” I informed, remembering a Language Arts lesson from sixth grade.  
“What?” They asked.  
“Nothing,” I mumbled.  
Lastly, Xander’s room opened, and he calmly tip-toed through. “That may have been the weirdest sensation I’ve ever experienced,” He commented after curing his nervous system.   
We were almost prepared for the robotic lecture. Almost. “Trial three. Complete the following riddle and clearly state your answer. Commencing now. The more you take, the more you leave behind. They’ll always be a part of you, as long as you tread the earth. Never the same, but belonging to everyone, what am I?”  
I was completely stumped. “I have no idea.”  
Noah nodded his agreement, “I was never good at riddles.” Amber stared at the ceiling, talking to herself.  
Xander stared blankly at my shoes. “Shoe,” He said slowly, “Foot. Foot-step.”  
“What are you talking about?” Noah asked.  
“It’s a footstep,” Amber followed up, joining us. “Think about it. The more you take, the more there are behind you. Everyone has them, as long as you keep walking the ground. None of them are the same. Xander, you’re a genius!” She kissed him sisterly on the forehead, and he turned redder then a bloody sunset.  
She caught wind of his obvious for the affection, blushing a little as well. “Sorry,” she said. He flushed even more, grinning at Noah.  
“Anyway,” I said, volume rising in inflection. “Footsteps.” I said clearly. The last and final chamber became unlocked, anticlimactically empty.  
We sped in. “Congratulations, Carter, Noah, Xander, and Amber. You have been confirmed as four of the six. Listen closely to the following prophecy, as it will not be repeated.   
“One by one, the islands will fall   
King bathed in red to rule them all  
Underrated power to end his reign  
The girl is damned, his demons slain  
Love is yet to sway his heart  
Love will tear the war apart  
Return in shame, killed yet ten  
Fate to cross love’s path again.”  
In the dark, by the autotuned inflictions of the speech, the words carried much more power than when Diamond recited them to me. I knew, deep down, this poem would one day come true. I began to speak, but I was silenced by four more lines.  
Both are evil, both will rule  
The first of which is half the duel  
Keep in status, Latuga’s doomed  
Carter’s powers come to bloom  
“Did you guys hear that?” I asked, shuffling my toes.  
“It means the king is going to be overthrown!” Xander said happily.  
“And it called me out by name,” I prompted. The three of them stared at me.  
“What are you talking about?” Amber asked.  
“Are you sure you’re not under mind control too?” Noah joked. I ignored him and made a mental note to myself: if they couldn’t hear the entire prophecy, it must have revealed its second cryptic half only to me. It would be wise not to share.  
“I’m fine,” I nodded. “My ears are still a little clogged from the potion.” Amber and Xander relaxed their stares, but Noah remained suspicious.  
“So,” I cleared my throat, “Are you guys ready to leave?”  
“How exactly are we going to do that?” Xander asked. I looked around the room. Contrary to our assumptions, no path led us off the inverted distortion line, or even outside the gauntlet.   
The voice answered our worries, “As a second gift, we realize that four of you are in a tight situation. In exactly five minutes, a portal will be opened to your needed destination.”  
We took the break to eat a snack, dried granola and molding mushrooms. Not exactly a first-class meal, but it would have to do.  
I couldn’t help but train my focus on my past actions. It was like the ghost of Lady Lumanine was following me, whispering in my ears what I had done. I just wished I could have apologized to her, before she was dead.  
And even longer ago, Hope. I hadn’t been the cause of her death, but I had nearly placed the same fate on to Noah. It seemed like all I caused was suffering.  
Both are evil, both will rule  
The first of which is half the duel  
Keep in status, Latuga’s doomed  
Carter’s powers come to bloom  
I annunciated the prophecy slowly in my head. My doubt of divination was now gone, after the events of the last hour, it would be foolish to believe that this was astronomical coincidence. Someone had purposely meant for us to find this island.  
Both are evil. Me and the king. Both will rule.   
I knew exactly what would happen. It would come to a duel between the two of us. I would win, and descend upon the monarchy, I had to, or Latuga was doomed. But maybe that was my arrogance speaking for me.  
The entire poem confused me. The girl is damned line scared me most of all. I didn’t allow myself to believe it meant Relaya, or even Amber.  
Return in shame, killed yet ten. There was no use trying to analyze that, it was mostly straightforward.  
But love? My love? The kings? Diamond’s? There was no way of knowing.  
A hissing sound filled the room, and purple sparks flew across the stone. A hole began to form, a miniature version of the one I had been brought to Latuga in. The diameter quickly widened, stopping at the point of allowing a full-grown adult to step through without crouching.  
I peered deep in to the whole, but like the last one, only darkness stretched for endless oblivion. The four of use remained unanimously silent, contemplating our peril. I knew I was prepared to sacrifice my life for Relaya’s, but that didn’t mean the other three wanted to.  
“You don’t have to come.” I whispered almost inaudibly.  
Without speaking, the three of them waged quarrels with my face. They were clearly adamant about helping, and there was no way anything I would say would change their minds.  
I smiled. It was nice having people on your back all the time, looking out for each other instead of themselves. My friendships were nothing back home compared to this. I barely knew the three of them, but I would fight till the edge of the earth to save them.  
I looked at Amber. Her face was ashen and dirty, but I could clearly distinguish her beauty. So strong to have fought since birth to live. Her will was as hard as diamond, her soul as elegant as gold.  
I shifted to Xander. It wasn’t fair that he would have to grow up so fast, relying on his brother to make decisions for him. His entire child-hood had been taken from him, and there was no getting that back.  
And Noah could still grin with me, despite all the horrors he’d seen. Still able to laugh when his world was tumbling down with him. Making sure others felt okay before he attended to himself. It saddened me to think that outside of his happy exterior, was the weight of several other people.  
These were the friends that would help me save Relaya.  
One by one, still silent, we stepped in to the portal. I was the last to step through. My robe flapped urgently, waving directly towards the vortex. I could feel my hair groaning for escape.   
This time I wasn’t scared. I knew if I tried to stop the whirlpool, it would consume me, and my consciousness would ebb away. I welcomed the power, humming a hopeful note as I put one-foot in. As I embraced its strength, I was able to understand it more. I closed my eyes.  
I felt like a stone in to nowhere, neither going up or down. I was falling in every direction, but none of them at the same time. My entire body felt warped, like a rubber band that had been stretched out way too far.   
I snapped, flying through the dimension without control. I couldn’t count the time, but it was seconds before I arrived.  
When I slowed, sun heated the back of my naked neck. Waves whistled nearby, overriding nearby whispers that sounded out.  
I opened my eyes and was greeted by Primo Island.

Chapter Nineteen  
Primo Island  
“Good, you’re up.” Amber steadied my weak stance.  
I looked around. Xander and Noah stood frozen in time, mouths comically agape. I hadn’t been told of that side-effect on Juma, but looking back on my experience, it made sense.  
“How long have you been awake? How much time do we have? Have you found where she is?”  
“One at a time,” She said slowly.  
“Sorry,” I apologized.   
“Okay,” She paused, “It hasn’t been too long. I woke up less than an hour ago. Near as I can tell, we’re on a smaller outpost. I spotted six guards, but they’re not very well trained. We should have at least a day and a half to find the prison.”  
My shoulders loosened, “Good. I was worried for a second there.”  
“I could tell,” she teased. “Why don’t you go take a shower? You smell like the dungeons.” She scrunched her nose.  
“Very funny,” I rolled my eyes. “Wait a second,” I said, “How can you have showers here?”  
“Hydraulics. The water elemantalists power plants across the world.” That sounded like a pretty boring job.  
She handed be some colored bits, and I took a quick shower in a building over the dunes we were hiding. I was quite literally caked with dirt, black waves marching out of my skin and down the drain as the shockingly warm water met my skin.  
When I came back, both Xander and Noah were groaning about going back to sleep. Well at least I know they’re related.  
Amber proposed an expedition to find the prison. Xander and I volunteered to go in to town and ask around for directions, while Noah and her would start preparing to break in.  
Xander turned and faced me the moment we were out of their earshot’s. “You don’t like Amber, do you?” He asked seriously.  
“What?” I blushed. “No. Why would you…oh.” He liked her.  
“Don’t tell her okay? I don’t think she sees me that way.”  
“It’s cool,” I said. I can’t believe Xander had thought I liked her. I had never even thought about her that way. She was cute, and headstrong, but she just wasn’t my type.   
We came in to view of the rest of the outpost, a desolate collection of small huts and buildings. We found a cozy looking structure, painted a warm brown. The sign informed us it was an inn.  
“This would be a good place to start,” Xander told me, “Just watch out for the guards. Noah told me they had a warrant for your capture.”  
“Good idea,” I said, ducking under the veiled doorway and stepping in. Inside, four rows of tables held a handful of people, the majority lounging and drinking from mugs. We sat down across from a younger man who was slightly more alert compared to the rest of them.  
“I suppose you have an agenda?” He raised his eyebrows as we settled down.  
“Perhaps,” I said, leaning in, “Depends on what you know.”  
“Interesting questions. I suppose you’re looking for secrets?”  
“Maybe…”  
He chuckled, “You’re not the only one who comes to outposts looking for information, little friend. People don’t just trade textiles here.”  
“So, what do you know?” Xander pushed.  
“I know a lot of things. It wouldn’t be smart to give away everything without a price.”  
“What do you want?”  
“I want the details of your mission,” I jumped up a little, startled. He laughed again. “I apologize. I know how to read people. Let me guess, you’re on a mission from the rebels and you’re trying to find a secret location?” I nodded with amazement.  
“So…” He continued, “You tell me exactly what your motivations are, and I’ll send you on your merry way.  
“Look,” Xander seethed, “I don’t know who you are, but we’re- “  
“Xander it’s okay.” I held him back, “We don’t want to draw attention.” I turned back to the man. “We’re on a rescue mission for a girl named Relaya. She was wrongfully taken from Earth.”  
“And Diamond actually approved of saving one of the government’s most deadly operatives?”  
“No. But how did you know-?”  
“Watch out for her. I left the rebels because they lost their cause. Diamond’s not who she says she is.”  
“We know. It’s a small world isn’t it?”  
“Of course.” He extended his hand, “Call me Thomas.”  
I shook his hand. “Carter.”  
Two soldiers found their way in to the inn. “I’m guessing those aren’t friends of yours?” I shook my head vigorously. The other four guards soon followed them.  
“If I’m right, you’ll find a prison three miles northwest of this outpost.” He said quickly, “Security is tight, but it's possible to breach.” He glanced up at the approaching soldiers. “You better go.”  
Thomas stood up, distancing himself from us. The first soldier reached us, a tall woman with light armor. “You’re coming with us.” She said.  
“Not a chance,” I replied, pushing the table sideways and blocking her path. Xander picked up a plate and flung it towards her head, which she dodged at the last second.   
Flames grew out of another guard’s hand, incinerating the table, and singing my hair. Sparks flew from the burning wood, catching on the woman’s hair. The fight had escalated.  
The loungers screamed and fled the inn, the group circling around us. I charged forward, distorting the space to reach them quicker. I tripped one of them, grasping his sword and plunging it into the woman. The second person I had killed.   
A knife grazed my ear, and Xander ran towards the perpetuator. His hands touched the soldier’s armor, changing the metal in to soft cloth. I took the man’s surprise to attack, pulling out the sword and slamming its butt against his head. He crumpled to the ground, head swelling instantaneously.  
Xander drew water from the cups, blasting the four remaining guards back in to the adobe wall. I slid under the stream, pouncing back up as the flow slowed. However, before I could strike, they knocked me to the ground and held me strictly to the mud. Crap.  
They split in to three flanks, one holding me down. Xander was easily overwhelmed, captured with little struggle.  
Our hands were tied behind our backs, and they attended to the two fallen. With a twinge of remorse, I realized they had relationships too. But that didn’t mean I was going to submit.  
An axe flew out of the shadows, decapitating my captor and thudding without stop to the wall. Thomas sliced through the remaining trio, mercifully sparing them of their lives.  
He cut through my bonds, and I released Xander.  
“Thank you,” I said graciously, half bowing before him.  
“It’s the least I can do,” He said. “I wish you luck on your rescue attempt.” He focused on me, “And I hope you find a way home.  
Before I could ask, he answered. “The whole word knows about you Carter. You may not realize it, but you’re stirring the war. You may not care about our world, but you’re certainly affecting the rest of us. I hand you my gratitude for that.”  
My words came without recognition. “I do care. I’m going to fight for you guys too.”  
Thomas wiped his left eye. “I never would have been that brave at your age,” He said. “I was never able to pay back my service to Latuga.”  
“Come with us,” I offered. “Help us rescue Relaya. You can still fight for what you believe in.”  
He slowly shook his head. “Sorry Carter. I can’t ever return to the rebels. What Diamond’s running isn’t right, so I’m not going to help her. No... If I return, she’ll just wait for her chance to start using me again.”  
I sighed. “I get it.”  
He stared at me. “But I’m not going to just wait for things to change. I’ll wage a private war against the king. I still have good connections. If I’m going defy him, I might as well do it openly. Go out with a bang.”  
I smiled. “I hope we meet again someday.”  
“Not just yet,” He said, “I have advice for you.” I tilted my head. “When the time comes, you’ll want to put others before yourself. I want you to remember that your life is just as important as everyone else’s, no matter what anyone says. Stay safe.”  
“Okay.”  
“Promise me you’ll look out for yourself.”  
“I promise I’ll look out for myself.”  
“Good boy.” He ruffled my hair. “See you around.” He twisted on the spot, cape enveloping his muscular body, and disappeared in to thin air.  
Xander looked like he had just seen Noah take a mouthful of sand. “The others are not going to believe us.”  
I agreed, “How did he do that?”  
“I have no idea. Illusion probably. He must have been pretty powerful to just teleport away.” The two of us dragged the four unconscious soldiers in to the corner. We were unsure what to do with the dead ones, so we halfheartedly hid their bodies behind the bar.  
At the exact moment I was gingerly picking up the unattached head, a worker walked in and screamed bloody murder. She tore off out of the inn, hollering all the way down the street.  
“We should probably get going,” I said, resisting laughing at such a morbid situation. Xander cut my expression, and the two of us broke in to uncontrolled giggling.  
***  
We quickly caught the other two up, who had apparently had no interesting to tell us.  
“Why do you always get the exciting things?” Amber jokingly pouted her bottom lip out at Xander.” He flushed and stuttered, at a complete loss of words to his crush. I made a mental note to tease him later.  
Noah saved his brother, “We got everything ready for the trip. You said you got the location?”  
“Exactly three miles northwest,” I recounted. “We should be able to get there in to time.”  
“I suggest we leave now,” Inputted Amber, who was peeking over the dunes to a collecting mob of citizens.

We set off in the opposite direction of the outpost, following a makeshift compass Xander fashioned out of a bowl, seawater, and a metal strip in his pocket.  
It wasn’t too much of a hike, but the sand made it difficult to make progress. I was reminded of the island on Earth, when we had first gone caving.  
Noah predictably complained about his irrational aversion to exercise, and I was glad I had something to distract myself away from my second murder.  
At least this time it was in combat, I assured myself, mad for the thoughts. I couldn’t help but think it didn’t make any difference. What would my family think if I told them about what I had done?  
Okay, definitely not. The only reason I would ever tell them is if I wanted a one-way ticket to the closest insane asylum. The sand became rougher, and my sandals caught on rocks, sending me tumbling to the ground. Noah helped me up, hands grasping on a gnarled root.   
“Thanks,” I stood cautiously, and my feet curled around a groove in the hill. The growing number of calluses on my toes were becoming more than apparent; the large majority of them were festering in to blisters. 

Amber was the first to see it, but I was the first to act.   
I yanked Xander’s neck back, stopping him from diving right in to the prison. The valley in front of us was closely guarded, and the actual prison was much smaller than we imagined, about four or five stories of polished green stone.   
A lone flag flapped in the wind, baring the snake emblem from Juma. Precise patterns of battalion soldiers snaked around the doors, eyes patrolling the hills.   
I almost screamed in surprise, barely able to stifle the squeak and hold on to Xander. I couldn’t let them get killed too.   
That’s when I made up my mind. I felt bad for hiding the truth from them, after all they had done. They deserved to know why I would hand myself over. But it was too late, and they would just try to stop me.   
I threw my friends back and launched myself directly on the closest soldiers. In complete surprise, the three of them cried out accusations of betrayal, but I was prepared. I hollered out a battle cry over the trio, hands up as I surrendered to the soldiers.   
My hands were quickly tied, and my body was tackled like a rag-doll to the ground. As I was dragged away, I caught one last look at their startled faces, terrified expressions asking themselves why I had just let myself get captured.   
My eyes lined up with Noah’s, and I was able to mouth one last word to him. I doubted he could know what it was, but I was sure they would figure it out.   
I did this for Relaya. 

Chapter Twenty  
The Execution   
I had just betrayed my only friends. What had I done?   
I prayed they would be smart enough not give themselves up, but I was unsure. Maybe if I had explained what I had intended to do...   
No, Noah wouldn’t have allowed it. This was the only way Relaya was going to live.   
“Where are we taking him?” I heard a deep voice ask. A muffled response followed, and a blindfold covered my eyes. I was being carried away.   
I seemed to be rising up a flight of stairs. A cell door creaked open, and my body was flung carelessly to the ground. The cell door slammed in front of me, and I noticed a second person’s breathing in the room.   
“Carter?” Relaya asked uncertainly. She seemed wary of my arrival, as if it were a trick from here captors.   
“It’s me.” I confirmed. “Don’t worry, you’re safe.”   
“Prove it to me.”   
“One time I listened to Someone Like You for sixteen times in a row.”   
“It is you!” She exclaimed. She began to untie the knots on my hand, “Wait you didn’t give yourself up, did you?”   
I remained silent. “Carter, as soon as you’re untied, I’m going to kill you!” She finished the knot and yanked the blindfold off my head, bringing her brown eyes face to face with mine.   
“I-”   
“I told you what would happen if you listened to them. They don’t keep their promises. And now we’re both going to be killed!”   
“What was I supposed to do, wait for you to die?” I screamed at her.   
“That’s exactly what you should have done! I’m not worth it.” She responded angrily.   
“I’m sorry.” I knew she was wrong, that they would let her go in order to get my cooperation. Why would they kill her to gain my obedience?   
“Carter, you have no idea what you just did. They don’t need you anymore. The moment you showed disobedience was the moment you became useless to them.   
“But I’m a shadower-”   
“All the more reason to ensure your death. Why would they risk the chance you’d join the rebels? They have thousands of other children to kidnap. Your execution wouldn’t make a difference in their army.” I was only beginning to realize my predicament.   
I found words unable to leave me. Deep down, I knew I had made the right decision, but my instinct was fighting against me. I couldn’t stop my eyes from leaking.   
Relaya mellowed out. “Look, I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at your terrible decision making. And I’m ticked at myself. None of this would have happened if I hadn’t asked you to escape with me.”   
“Relaya, this isn’t your fault.” I couldn’t believe she could try and place the blame upon herself.   
“Yes, it is,” She spat. “It’s the same reason my sister’s dead. I’m to selfish to realize that I’m hurting other people.”   
“I’m the one who gave myself up. You’ve been stuck here for eight years. You deserve more than me, more than anyone, to be set free.” I wiped my cheek.   
She shook her head, “You wouldn’t understand.”   
“I don’t. But we’ll get through this together, okay?” She nodded, and we hugged tightly.   
She pushed away after a minute. “What did Lady Lumanine say?” She straightened her hair and pulled away the tough knots.   
“She’s dead. I killed her.” I answered blatantly. My response was so empty, and I felt as if my empathy for these people was melting away. They deserved to pay for what they’d done to me. For what they’d done to Relaya.   
Relaya dismissed the thought quickly. “No Carter you didn’t. Whatever you thought you saw-”   
“No Relaya, you’re not listening to me. I... I drove a knife in to her chest. I watched her die. I stayed with her corpse through sunrise. I killed her under white flag.” I was terrified of the robotic tones in my voice. How could I admit murder without shame for what I’d done? What were these islands doing to me?   
Relaya tore a small portion of fabric off her dirty robe and handed the rag to me as a makeshift tissue. I declined the offer, giving the cloth right back.   
“I don’t need it,” I said blankly. “Look, a lot has changed since I left Juma. I’m not the innocent person I was in Ohio. I’ve killed two people, and I’m about to be responsible for another one’s death. I’m sorry Relaya, but we waited too long. At this point, I’m not even sure if I could go back to my parents. How do you think I could live with myself after leaving everyone here behind?”   
“And you don’t think I’ve had to kill people? The only way I’ve stopped myself from going crazy is realizing that one day I’ll return. You can’t root yourself where you don’t belong.”   
“Where do I belong? I can’t exactly see myself sitting in a classroom while daydreaming about how fun war was!” I sighed, “It doesn’t even matter. We’ll both be dead by sunset.”   
“I love you Carter.” I promised myself that if I ever returned to Earth, I would be a lot nicer to her. Brothers and sisters should fight for each other until the end.   
“I love you too.” I managed.   
She rubbed her temples, “Okay, now that we’ve got that out of the way, what do you say to another escape?”   
“I’d say I’m all in.”   
“Good.” I quickly filled her in on the details of my own adventures, later emphasizing on the surrounding island landscape. I omitted Noah, Amber, and Xander from the story. That was the one thing I truly felt the worst about. How did they feel right now, looking at the prison knowing my risk had yielded no return?  
Relaya sketched her ideas on the wall, using a small pointed stone. She tied up her hair with a wristband that I had no idea how she’d kept and straightened her back as if too begin an oral report in front of the class. “The walls and door resist distortion and changing, but I’ve noticed they’re susceptible to other forms of influence. Any chance you’ve learned how to use shadowing?” I shook my head, “I figured. I tried picking the lock, but it held tight...” I jumped to attention as her voice slowed. I had noticed it too. Someone was marching up to our hold.   
“Hurry!” I screeched, and the two of us scratched away at the markings Relaya had made. I ran to get the blindfold, but then I realized that the perfect time for escape was now.   
“Behind the door!” I ordered.   
Before we could act, the door was opened, and I found myself flying in to the wall. Nothing had touched me, but it was like millions of fingers pinned me to the spot. It felt like gravity had turned on its head and decided to keep us grounded to the wall.  
I cried out in pain and turned to look at Relaya. She was struggling to move more than an inch, her fingers reaching out in small spasms. Her face was contorted with pain, and the veins were popping out of her forehead.   
“None of that,” A man whispered as he stepped in to the room. His beard was shaved, and his hair trimmed; I recognized him as Governor Hancock.   
And of course he was here. He was the governor of Primo Island, after all. He would ensure our deaths, and the king would return to the exact same operation. I hadn't accomplished anything.  
We slumped to the ground in defeat, the invisible hold still tight around just our necks. I made eye contact with Relaya, and I knew what she was thinking: There’s no point in running.   
It was all a blur as we were taken back downstairs. The execution was going to be scheduled now. I was going to die. It was all so quick I barely had time to register it.  
We had thought we had more time. I thought I would have a chance to negotiate Relaya’s freedom. But as I looked in to Governor Hancock’s eyes, I agreed with her. There was no remorse hidden beneath his pupils. He had just one job to do, and no one was getting in his way.  
I was going to die. No do overs. No deus-ex-machina. Right here. Right now.   
I recognized the axe, but without surprise. I had seen it in my dreams seven nights ago. I had seen what was about to unfold.   
Governor Hancock seized the weapon, grasping the hilt firmly in his hands. Relaya’s face seemed frozen in time.   
“I love you,” I heard her whisper again, and I repeated the phrase right back. My whole body was shaking in terror.   
He moved over to Relaya, bringing the axe far above his head. No.   
She inhaled for the last time, and I shook my head in disbelief.   
And then the axe fell, and Relaya was gone forever.   
Someone was screaming my name.   
I didn’t care.   
I was ready to die. 

But I watched as my friends descended upon the valley, tearing their way through surprised soldiers.   
Noah descended on horseback, coming straight in my direction. The sight was almost laughable as the three teens seemed to lift my rescue out of nowhere.  
I was lifted on to the horse, and nearly fell off in shock. Amber and Xander retreated toward us, fending off the nearing guards.   
Noah lifted them on the horse, and we rode over the tall dunes. We were going to live.  
All of that. In just under a minute. Relaya was dead, and I was going to live.   
My dream had come true.   
Relaya. Why had I been so selfish?   
Relaya. What had I done?   
I watched her body leave my eyesight forever.   
Relaya. No.   
Relaya. Why wasn’t I dead? 

Part Three  
The Portal

Three days later   
Chapter Twenty-One   
Grief   
Why?   
There was nothing else to say. I was alone.   
They put me in a hospital bed and announced I was in a state of shock. I was in shock, but not the way they understood it. I heard and processed everything around me, but I didn’t see a point in responding. The entire world should have stood still for her. I couldn’t comprehend how the rebels could go on with their lives as if nothing had happened when Relaya was dead.   
I was grateful for Amber, but for some reason I missed Noah more. He had been sent away, along with Xander, on another mission the moment he had returned, without empathy from Diamond to our situation.  
I didn’t eat, I didn’t sleep, I didn’t talk. I just sat in the bed and thought about her.   
It was crazy of me to be this distraught, right? But the connection I had with her, no matter how short it lasted, was worth the depression. I was in her situation, and now I saw what was coming for me.   
I should have been mad that my friends hadn’t rescued me earlier, but this was all my fault. I had thought my sacrifice would have been enough; it wasn’t. We could have saved her.   
“Everything’s okay.” Amber assured me, holding me tight without reaction. She was warm and loving, and I almost found myself believing her. “I didn’t know much about her, but if she was good enough for you, she must have been amazing.” I managed to nod slowly.   
She understood the small gesture. “Thanks Carter. You know, the last week has been awful, but it's also the best of my entire life. To be able to speak freely and have friends is everything I ever needed. Thank you for being a part of that.”   
“Can I tell you something?” My voice was hoarse from being silent for so long.   
“Anything.”   
“There we more lines in the prophecy. Lines only I could hear.” Amber stayed quiet as I recited. Both are evil, both will rule. The first of which is half the duel. Keep in status, Latuga’s doomed. Carter’s powers come to bloom.” Amber breathed in sharply. “I think you know what that means.”   
“I think I know what you’re suggesting. We have to keep the king in power. Because if we don’t, you’ll replace him as monarch.”   
“Both are evil,” I croaked. “It calls me out by name. Who else could it be?”   
“Diamond?” Amber whispered without confidence.   
“Diamond wants to topple the government. Why would she place herself at the top?” My role in Latuga was clearly far from over.   
“You’re not evil.”   
“Do you know that? Relaya’s dead because of me. I’m a shadower, and from what I’ve seen, nothing but bad comes out of that.” I had barely given my skill a passing thought in days, procrastinating the day when I would finally confront that there was no way to get rid of it. It was a force that grew and festered inside me, growing stronger as it consumed my anger. The longer I waited to let it out, the more dangerous I would become.   
“Nobody knows anything about it. It’s not about the skill, it's how you use-”   
“Don’t give me that crap! I can feel it Amber. I’ve been denying more that its inside me the bigger it gets. I know you know what happened on Drakona Island with Xander. That wasn’t distortion.” What was with everyone’s problem of denying things that were right in front of them?  
“You used it for good. You saved us.”   
“How long before it’s the other way around?”  
She tightened herself around me, and I blushed stupidly. I really didn’t want to think about anything else besides her arms wrapped tightly around my shoulders.  
“I think Xander likes you.” I said in the silence. Why had I said that? Xander was going to kill me if he found out.   
“Mhh.” She mused, “I know. What with the constant redness in his cheeks like what you’re displaying now, I figured it out.” I blushed even harder. Why couldn’t I keep a straight face around her? I didn’t even like her, especially not like that.  
“Yeah, don’t worry about me,” I assured her. “I have plenty to worry about without romance.”  
She looked sad, “Oh, don’t waste it all on me,” I added. She giggled in response.  
“Seriously though,” I said, “Thanks for being here.”  
“Always. What are friends for?”  
The moment was ruined as Diamond barged without warning in to the room. If looks could kill, Amber would have sent a thousand knives directly in to Diamond’s throat. Diamond didn’t seem to notice Amber’s stark glares.  
“Go away.” I ordered blankly.  
“Relax. We couldn’t retrieve Relaya’s body, but we’ll hold a ceremony for her tonight.” Diamond looked in no mood to be fighting with me.  
“Oh…Thank you.” I nodded my head with sincerity. I hadn’t expected such thoughtfulness.  
“It’s the least I can do. Think of me as heartless, but I have a soft spot for fallen warriors. And for people on Earth.” I blinked away tears.  
Maybe she hadn’t meant to come on so headstrong. She just had questionable methods.   
Diamond left awkwardly, and I turned back to Amber. “You’ll come to the funeral?”  
That wasn’t even a question. “Of course. I’m just sorry Noah couldn’t make it. He’d be there if he could.”  
***  
“I’ll speak.” I volunteered. Twenty of us sat around a fire, burning a traditional purple fabric. I stayed closely to Amber, clinging to her for support. But I had to say something on behalf of Relaya. I’d known her the best. Most of these people were just her to sympathize with me, having only ever heard the awful rumors.  
I made my way up the small amphitheater, which was tucked on to the east side of the island. There were neat rows of wooden seats tucked around the fireside and stage, filed symmetrically in a semi-circle. Diamond hadn’t made it, but that didn’t really surprise me at this point.  
I didn’t have a plan, but I knew exactly what to say.  
“As I look up and down the aisle, I don’t think anybody except me knew anything about Relaya but rumors. She was not the person you heard about in speculation. She was trapped for eight years. I know many of you were once slaves, so just try and imagine how that was for her. But none of you are from my world, where slavery is a thing of the past. None of you were from my world, where we had lives before, they were taken away from us. None of you were from my world, where the King could use our own loved ones as hostages.  
Relaya, unfortunately, had to make sacrifices to keep her sister alive. And they killed her anyway. Like how they might use my family against me. We need to make sure the government doesn’t do it again.  
And if you could see her in her final moments, you’d see how human she was. Being away for so long broke her, and yet she still cared more about me than herself. She tried to save me from the life she had, and in the end, that’s what killed her.  
Thank you for commemorating Relaya…” I didn’t even know her last name. That’s when the waterfall exploded from my eyes, and I shakily stepped down from the stage. Mark patted me on the back, and Amber held me as I cried.  
Purple powder was passed around in to our hands. One by one we threw it into the fire, and it blazed like gasoline in to a violet haze. Then it was a farewell.  
“Fiat animam tuam perdidisti requiescant in vita postea essent, ac tandem in pace.” A man chanted in a language I didn’t understand. “Semper enim memores erunt nominis eius, Relaya. Ignis est vita eius ex his nunc sequentibus videri redargui. Goodbye.” The man finished as the fire began to sizzle. The flame was snuffed, and the purple flames were silenced.   
“Let’s go,” I whispered, and the two of us left before the light was completely extinguished. The crimson red of the skies was beginning to darken in to the night, last wisps of sunlight disappearing behind the ocean.  
“Are you ready for tomorrow?” she asked. The rebels had planned to start building up their defenses for the invasion which was exactly one week from now. I was supposed to practice my skills, but I had asked to learn alone. I needed peace.  
Besides, I learned better alone. It wasn’t that I thought I was smarter than other people, but because their thoughts distracted me. I had better perseverance without anyone slow me down. Furthermore, I decided it was finally time for me to attempt shadowing. And who could teach me besides myself?  
“I’ll be fine,” I replied. “At least for now. I think it’s time for me to get Relaya out of my head.”  
Despite what I said, her face kept me awake. I kept seeing her death, replaying over and over in my head like a broken record player. Governor Hancock lifting the axe above his head and coming to a halt at her neck. Gone. Because of me.  
My body pleaded for rest, but my mind would not yield. Four days without sleep was getting to me, and it still didn’t matter.  
I thought about Thomas on Primo Island. What had he said? ‘When the time comes, put yourself before your friends, no matter how hard it is.’ Relaya wouldn’t want me to cry about her. She’d want me to keep her promise and get home.  
How could I return? How could I adapt back to a normal life? It was a mounting fear that was becoming harder and harder to ignore. My family would know something was wrong. Troy, my friend back home, would ask me what had happened to polarize my personality.  
I was grateful when the sun rose again, and I could return to the company of people. Noah and Xander were supposed to return late that night, and I would meet them after practicing.  
I met Amber at the dining hall, which had been magically reconstructed by the builders over the past few days.  
“It’s amazing,” I breathed.  
“You haven’t seen anything.” Amber tugged on my arm and pulled me to table. I managed a plate of mushrooms and crab for breakfast-very odd for the morning; with the hunger that was growling inside of me, it was easy to get down.  
Amber promised to meet me at my tent before Noah and Xander got back. We split and she went to assist in building a makeshift wall that was being sprung up around the front part of the island.   
I found an open spot in the jungle on a large, flat, rock. Then I started.  
I picked a tree. It was tall and healthy, palm fronds swinging lightly in the wind. I could feel its life and energy, a radiating aura of healthiness.  
The shadowing took hold as I let it out of its cage, and its darkness embraced the tree. It was like a wild animal without restraints, angry it had been under my control for so long. I poured all my feelings in to it as a release. Hope. Relaya. My own freedom.  
I couldn’t control this energy. I couldn’t confine it to just one tree. It spread like a disease, hopping to all the life within a twenty-foot radius.  
The ground vibrated and shook beneath my feet. The sky seemed to darken and frown.   
It exploded out of me, and the plants all withered and died. The branches groaned, one falling and shattering at my feet.  
They were all dead. Every single one of them.  
If I could kill anything, who knew what else my power entailed. The king had spouted off a list, but it was hard for me to remember now. Disengage locks. Drive people to madness. I could do it all.  
I decided I was done for the day. I was not quite ready to have another mental breakdown because I committed mass genocide on mother nature.  
Since I still had several hours until evening came, I took the time to take a walk. I found myself drawn to Diamond’s house without explanation. Why wasn’t she easier to hate? I traveled over the intricate bridge and knocked on the door.  
She answered less than a minute later, slightly surprised. “Carter, just the right time! I was about to go and find you.”  
“Odd,” I muttered under my breath.   
She hurried me back down the smelly stairs and in to the basement full of weapons. She seemed to have been busy over the past few days, having renovated much of the space and placing several new markers on the map.  
“I’m sorry for your loss, Carter. I hope you know I would have helped to rescue your friend. Everyone deserves a spot for freedom when the new order takes over.”  
I stared down at my sandals.  
“I know we got off to a bad start, but I hope we can work everything out,” she said. I didn’t know whether to believe her words. All my instincts told me no, but her voice was ordering me to forget.  
“What do you want to show me?” I asked.  
“I wanted to give you something.” I looked worriedly around the room.  
“Not a weapon. I’m not breaking my promise. I want to give you Adeverian.” I narrowed my eyes.  
“Truth serum?”  
“Enough dosage for one person. You have trouble trusting people? Allow me to give you something to know exactly what they’re thinking.” She pulled out a small yellow ball.  
“I’ll use it wisely.” Doubtful.  
“I know you will.” I took the ball from her and grasped it tightly in my hand.   
One thing was for sure-I had to know she hadn’t given me a fake before I used it on anyone. Especially her.  
I left Diamond’s island, nearly tripping over a root as I examined the Adverian. What had I seen from it when I had been interrogated? I remembered it had been dropped in to water where it fizzed and was diluted in the liquid.  
If my suspicions were correct, the potion would taste completely different. I hurried my way to an island stream, where I scooped up a small pool of water. I scraped a loose portion off the ball and sprinkled a small amount of it in to my hand. As the water bubbled, I brought the pool to my lips.  
Only plain colored water.  
Just as I suspected. Diamond had hoped I would try and slip it to her, then pretend honesty while secretly telling me lies to gain my trust.   
I chucked the ball as hard as I could in to the jungle.  
Just another trick. But I was not going to make another mistake.  
When this was all over, Diamond was going to wish I had never left Ohio.

Chapter Twenty-Two  
The Invasion  
I spent the next few days practicing distorting and testing my hand at sword fighting. I found a dagger to my favor and kept it in a sheath on my robe. Tensions were high in the camp as we prepared for the approaching forces. A group of divinators had used their clairvoyance to spot a fleet not more than four days away, much earlier than we had suspected.  
The makeshift wall had been finished, a towering wall of assorted left-over materials. The combined effect of wood, metal, stone, and plastics made the project seem like it had been made by several drunkards. But the design was made to be purposeful, not to be aesthetically pleasing.  
We made it a plan as a group to walk down the beach together at night, just to talk as friends about something other than death. Amber, despite my original thoughts on her, proved to be really funny when she wanted to be. Which meant it always seemed to be the three of us: me, Noah, and Amber. And since Noah had a lot of nighttime responsibilities, it always turned to be just the two of us.  
It was hard to tell if there was anything romantic happening. How could I worry about a girlfriend when I probably wouldn’t ever see Amber again? Something just didn’t feel right. I couldn’t place my finger on what it was, but every time she got closer, I kept thinking about someone else. How the moment we would get together, I’d have to pull away. Even if I wasn’t ever going to return to Earth, I felt like I could never be ready.  
On the other hand, it was obvious she expressed interest in me. She stared at me just a second too long, held me for a moment longer then she should have. Everything was perfect when we talked together, every word that left our mouths fell right in to place.  
So why could all I think about was Noah?  
In the meanwhile, I was becoming increasingly adept at distortion. I learned the basics of moving, but I was nowhere near as good at that as I was at distorting. Or shadowing.  
Nobody said anything about it, but my mind was creating a pressure from out of their faces. I just wasn’t ready to practice shadowing again. If it got loose again, I was sure that time it wouldn’t be mass genocide of trees.  
I marveled at how quickly the rebels set traps around the island. Distortion was being layered so thick it was like the ocean was a desert and we were at the center of a mirage. I was invited to work on the distortion with them, helping to change actual space. When I accepted, I learned how energy draining the task actually was.  
“I feel like I just ran a marathon,” I commented to Xander, who was watching me stretch the space between the water and the immense wall.  
“What’s that?” he asked curiously.  
“Nothing,” It was getting increasingly annoying to try and explain everything in my world to my friends. Every time I thought about microwaves, phones, dishwashers, my mind always traveled to Relaya.  
“Please?” he asked dramatically, his bottom lip sticking out. People here had been patient explaining their concepts to me, and so I gave him a quick overview on recreational running, which eventually led in to a large explanation of all our sports.  
He laughed as I finished, “Wait until I tell Noah. He’s going to have nightmares.” I laughed along him, which was becoming easier and easier as Relaya’s death neared its one-week anniversary.  
The sun was setting over the water, and orange and crimson lights were flickering along with the waves. Everything shimmered in a fire of blood. “Let him sleep tonight,” I said. “He needs his rest for tomorrow.”  
Tomorrow. After all we had set up over the past few days, it was a ridiculous thought that the king’s forces could over-run us. I had never seen his forces, but the rebels were confident they would win. Nonetheless, they had collected a small fleet of lifeboats as a last option.  
I still felt there had to have been more to the puzzle. Amber told me it was her who had revealed the information about the invasion on her own terms, along with clarity from several other rebels. Because of the amount of intel we had, it made the King look overly sloppy in his plans. On top of that, his invasion armada had refused to turn around upon knowledge of our preparations. I feared he had another trick up his sleeve-something that would change the outcome of this battle.  
As the sky darkened, I said goodnight to Xander and slumped groggily back to our tent. Practicing our skills had taken a lot of energy out of me, and I wanted a full night’s recharge.  
Of course, my brain refused to tire, and I was awake many hours in to the night, just like I had been for last several days. Surprisingly, it wasn’t thinking about Relaya-or the fear that she would appear in my nightmares. It was my family.  
There were bad moments with them, sure, but underneath it all I loved them. I thought about the last night before I had found the necklace. We had all been together, talking, like we never seemed to get to before. And then the receiver had shown up, and all I could think about was that stupid necklace. It was like a butterfly effect made this my fault.  
I pretended to be asleep when Noah showed up hours in to the dark; the banter between the brothers helped me to fall asleep. Memories disappeared and pain washed away. The lights of the real world blinked off, and the lights of the dream world blinked on.

And my eyes fluttered open to flurried movement outside the tent flap. I shot out of bed.  
“I think I’m right,” Noah said, “You never wake up like a normal person.”  
“And you wake up like a seventy-year-old,” I retorted. “Seriously, how much do you sleep?”  
“Not a lot,” He admitted, “But you’ll get used to it.” I must have looked distressed because he added, “If you stay.”  
“How long do we have, anyway?” I asked, referring to the invasion.  
“A few hours. A lot longer until the actual fighting starts. The distortion you helped set up, along with the wall should hold. Who knows, you might not have to step in at all?” With my luck, I was more likely to be hit by lightning.   
Amber barged in without warning. “A little privacy maybe?” Noah said.  
She rolled her eyes. “I thought we could all go watch the sun come up.”  
“Breakfast?” Noah murmured uneasily.  
“I’ll go with you,” I said to Amber. “I’m too nervous to eat.”  
“That makes three,” Xander added from under my hammock. I hadn’t noticed him before he’d spoken; of course, he wasn’t going to let us go alone. He probably thought something was happening between me and Amber. Was he wrong?  
Amber looked mildly disappointed. On one level, I was glad for a third wheel, but on another, I still wanted to be alone with her.  
“Promise to find me in a few hours?” Noah reaffirmed, his eyebrows scrunched, almost as if he was angry. I nodded, and his face softened. I made a note to talk to him later. That was, if we were all still alive.  
We cleared out of the tent and Noah diverged from the rest of the group to eat. “Hey,” I stopped the two of them, “I changed my mind. It’ll be good to get a bite to eat.” Amber looked like she was going to start attacking me again.  
“Perfect,” Xander exclaimed. Amber attempted a smile with grimace.  
I ran to catch up with Noah. “Mind if I go with you?” His stoned mouth broke in to a smile.  
“Thanks.” He looked back down at the duo walking opposite of us. Amber turned and caught eyes with me for a brief second. Her brown eyes said it all: I’m going to murder you.  
“You left the two of them alone?” Noah asked.  
“You know about Xander- “  
“Only that he’s been gawking at her every time she talks to him. Obvious crushes seem to run in our family.” The last comment made me laugh out loud. I couldn’t imagine Noah pawing after a girl. Period.  
A small spot was rapidly growing in the distance. As we watched, it grew to the size of the woman.  
“What the-?” I exclaimed as I realized it was Diamond racing to get to us.  
“Boys spread the word now. They’re here.” She lowered her voice, “I saw it in my mirror. I don’t know how they did it. I’ve never been able to tamper with it. But they’re less than a mile away.”  
Noah sprang apart from me and started hollering at the closest rebel. Up ahead, it seemed our scouts had already spotted the fleet. Bells were ringing and people were screaming. Like a wave, panic spread over the base. I was about to join Noah when Diamond stopped me.  
“Governor Hutchens was with them. As a shadower, I fear you’re the only one who can subdue him.” I nodded reluctantly. “Stay safe,” she added.  
Xander grabbed me from behind, “Where’s Noah?” The toll of bells was growing louder and louder in warning.  
“He’s safe,” I promised, pointing out his brother in the crowd of chaos. A few paces behind, Amber caught up to him.  
“Carter what’s happening?” She asked.  
“They tricked us somehow. Some kind of illusion on top of an illusion. I think it might have to do with Governor Hutchens.”  
“-And Diamond thinks you can balance him out.” Amber guessed. “You should probably take a look at their army before you make any promises.”  
A wooden set of stairs led up to a small portion of glass. We lost Xander in the confusion, but me and Amber made it to apparatus. The glass was thick, and I could hardly make out the image behind the haze.  
A lot of magic had been in play. There were at least twice as many ships, the armada much bigger than we had expected. Every boat was filled to the brim with government soldiers, each holding a weapon or undoubtedly hiding a deadly skill. Right in the center ship was Governor Hutchens, staring right in my direction.  
“He came for me,” I whispered.  
Amber couldn’t hear me through the deafening noise. “What?” she asked. I didn’t repeat myself. The government needed me dead at this point. I was too much of a threat. And I had just avoided my execution less than a week ago.  
Governor Hutchens shifted his gaze to the first wall, the veil of magic and distortion we had set up. He smiled, as if he knew I was watching him, and closed his eyes.  
For a single second, the magic wall looked solid, as if all the energy we had poured in to had turned to stone. Then Governor Hutchens collapsed his hands in to a fist, and the magic shattered like a broken mirror in to the ocean. We saw the last of it dissolve in to the water, and our first line of defense was gone.  
The fleet of boats advanced toward the coast. The screams increased even more as the rebels realized what had happened. Governor Hutchens put up his hands again, parallel to his last spell.  
“Carter we’ve got to go now!” The glass shimmered. A second too late, I realized what was about to happen. I shot in to action as the wall crumbled apart.  
It was just like my shadowing in the forest-everything withered and crumbled to dust. Amber and I sprinted down the stairs, and Amber gripped at the failing railing. I tried to keep her in the air, but she grabbed wildly and fell like a stone to the sand.  
“Amber!” I shrieked as I bounded down the final few steps. She was lying unresponsive in the sand. A fall from that height couldn’t have killed her, but she could have been seriously injured. “Amber!” I hissed, but Amber lay completely still.   
The last of the wall lay in ruins in a circle around me. Out of the corner of my eye I sensed the fleet was getting closer and closer, and picking up speed. “C’mon Amber!” I urged. “Please wake up!” Unlike the time with Xander, Amber refused to move. Out of desperation, I grabbed her hands and tried to pull her away from the wreckage and the incoming army.  
“Someone help!” My voice cracked. I was barely able to drag her more than twenty feet up the beach before my breathing became heavy. “Noah! Xander! Anyone!” I rasped. Everyone was running away in surprise, and they all refused to stop and help.  
In what seemed like forever, I had finally been able to conceal her in a bush about thirty yards from the ocean. I made sure she was completely hidden, and then started making my way up the main path.  
When I looked back, the rebel forces were beginning to regroup after initial shock, sorting themselves into a phalanx formation. I saw Mark at the center, preparing to defend himself till the last breath. I couldn’t pay for any distractions right now. I had work to do.  
One of their heads was bobbing up and down in the sea of escalating fighting. I called out Noah’s name, but when he turned around to look at me, the face belonged to Xander. He caught the terrified expression on my face and dashed over.  
I didn’t waste time for him to ask what was wrong. “Amber’s hurt! We need to get her away from the fighting.” Xander’s eyes grew to the size of disks, and his hand shot instinctively to his mouth.  
I showed him to the bush, and we carried Amber’s limp body to the main building. It was slow work; we had to avoid all the soldiers, both good and bad, and Xander was weaker in distress, but it was a much quicker process then doing it alone. We eventually got her to the hospital wing, but the entire building seemed to be empty.  
“She should be fine,” I assured Xander, “We’ll have her checked out after the fighting.”  
“I’m staying,” he announced bravely. “To protect her.” His bottom lip quivered slightly, “I-I’d feel bad if we left her alone.”  
I ran to join the rebels. Though no obvious side was losing, we had been caught by surprise when our defenses fell. We had slowly regrouped, but I saw several rebels lying lifeless in the sand. And unlike Amber, it was clear that some of them would never wake up.  
A string of fire flew by my stomach and impaled itself in to a sand dune. I followed its perpetuator, a women clad head to toe in armor. My first target.  
I put myself inside her head. Everything was clear: her fears, her goals, her strengths, her weaknesses. It wasn’t any single memory I could make out; they all joined together in her identity. I told her that time would slow, and the dimensions bended in her mind.  
It gave me much more time to advance toward her. I promised myself I wouldn’t kill her. I already had too much on my consciousness. I had to make sure she couldn’t fight.  
I tackled her to the ground. She had a delayed response of anguish, and her cries didn’t leave her mouth for several seconds after she was flat. I slammed her head with the butt of my dagger, and she was knocked unconscious. I cringed in empathy as a nasty bruise throbbed in to existence on her forehead.  
I dodged out of the way as an opposing soldier threw a knife with deadly accuracy to my chest. I narrowly avoided being struck in the heart, and I took a small blow to my elbow. Before the knife could meet the same end as the line of fire, I shakily used my moving skills to stop it from thudding in to mound of sand. I rebounded its direction, and the knife flew in to the soldier’s leg.  
“Carter!” Noah screamed as he summoned a wave around me to wash away the soldiers. I put my dagger back in to my chief and used the time to check out my arm. The cut was gushing blood.  
Noah didn’t seem to be concerned with my injury, “Look!” I followed his finger to Governor Hutchens, who was navigating his way to road of tents. To the main building. And Amber.  
“No!” I shouted as Noah reengaged in fighting as the enemy recovered from his wave. Xander couldn’t take a shadower on his own-he needed another to balance. him out. I tailed after the politician turned warrior.  
But he turned and circled around the main building and doubled back in to the woods. He wasn’t going for Amber. The king had to have told him about his mass amount of weapons underneath Diamond’s house. Whether it was the deadly poison or the Armageddon device, I couldn’t let him get his hands on anything in that basement. He was old, but was surprisingly agile, and had at least a three-hundred-yard lead. I know I was closing distance-the question was if I could cut him off in time.  
I wondered where Diamond was. I hadn’t seen her since she had told us about the surprise attack.  
I lost sight of him in the thicket. A branch caught and whacked me in the face, opening another scab. I cursed out loud in anger.  
There was no sign of him when I reached the bridge. My feet pounded over the structure, and a scared feeling was shooting up my spine. I gasped as I saw the wide-open door. “No,” I whispered as I dashed through the door.  
“Don’t move,” Diamond warned, her bow strung tight and arrow ready to fly. She was within feet of touching the arrow to my neck.  
The hairs on my neck rose in synchrony. Someone was directly behind me. I slowly turned to see Governor Hutchens; hands held up high.  
Everything was beginning to make sense. All my anger at Diamond left at once. She knew Governor Hutchens would make a break for the bunker. She had been willing to sacrifice herself to keep the artifacts safe. Everything she had done was to keep the artifacts safe.  
It was a trap for the first person who walked through that door. She had been about to send an arrow through his head.   
I ruined everything.  
I had just put myself in the crossfire.

Chapter Twenty-Three  
Shadowers  
“Looks like I’m not going to die after all,” he said with an uneasy laugh.  
“We’ll see about that,” Diamond answered, but I could tell she was nervous. Her voice was shaky and weak. When it came down to it, would she send an arrow through both of us to keep her weapons safe? If our roles were switched, I would be certain that both of them would be dead by now. So why was I still breathing?  
“Diamond just do it…” I ordered her. I would join Relaya and Latuga would be safe.  
“No.”   
“Diamond, I-,”  
“No! Two of us are getting out alive.”  
“Which two, I wonder?” Governor Hutchens added. Her fingers tightened on the bows shaft, string rubbing lightly against her cheek.  
He grabbed the scruff of my neck to keep me in place. “Shoot both of us Diamond. Do it-,”  
I kneed him in the stomach and ducked out of the way. He crumpled to the ground as the arrow lodged itself in the wall.  
“Carter move!” I shifted behind her as she lost another arrow.   
Governor Hutchens recovered just in time for it to rebound off the polished wooden floor.  
And then I was gone. The fighting in the house was replaced with a somber beach. Diamond and the governor were replaced with my parents. How could he use this scene against me? I was walking step and step with Myra, my parents not too far in front of us. She was holding up a flashlight and shining the beam down to look for shells. I felt like I could control my actions, but I kept in sync with how it had happened about three weeks ago.  
“I missed you,” Myra murmured. “I’m sorry we haven’t gotten a lot of time to spend together.”  
“Tell that to them,” I nodded to my parents. There I was, wishing I had bitten my tongue even though this scene was long over.  
Her body tensed. “I know how you feel. Be patient with them. They came around with me.” Icy pinpricks ran up my back. I didn’t know if he had already seen everything about me but living through this a second time was torture.  
“Did they tell you? I mean- “  
“I figured. Even without that, mom made it pretty obvious what the fight was about. I mean- “  
“No!” I screamed, breaking free from the illusion. “You don’t get to see that!” The world around me froze in its tracks. Myra stopped moving, her mouth oddly rounded around her last word. The surf was silent, and the waves were absolutely still.  
The nightmare shifted back to reality.   
Diamond was stuck as I was, living past a memory that was unbearable to remember.  
The Governor was sneering. “You could have stayed and learned how to harness your skills, but you failed to see the whole picture. You could have been as great a warrior as I am.”  
“Get out of her head!” I screamed. “It’s wrong. I don’t want to learn how to be powerful like that if it hurts someone! Don’t you see what you’re doing?” I couldn’t believe I was defending Diamond. If I got out of this, maybe we could finally reach an understanding.  
“You’re not innocent Carter. Far from it, actually. It’s your fault Relaya died.”  
“You killed Relaya!” I started to shake, “I never- “  
“-You never meant to let her be killed over you? There was another way to save her. You betrayed your friends and turned yourself over.”  
“How could I have known? It’s not my fault” I stammered.  
“It’s not your fault? Funny how you’re the one still alive.”  
My fingers grasped around the closest thing they could find. I threw a glass goblet lying on the table as hard as I could at the governor’s chest. He sidestepped easily.  
“You won’t beat me through combat. You know that Carter.”  
“That doesn’t mean I can’t try,” I answered, simultaneously grabbing the arrow out the wall. I scooped Diamond’s bow off of the ground and reared back before he could strike me.  
“A bow?” he mused. “How- “  
I pulled back the string and let the arrow fly. The tip grazed against his cheek and rebounded off the door.   
“You talk too much.” His hand touched his cheek gingerly and drew away dark blood.   
“You expect to beat me? You can’t even use your greatest asset.”  
“I don’t need shadowing to beat you. I don’t even need a skill. You’re a lot of things Governor Hutchens, but you’re not invincible. You can’t even hold Diamond.” Instinctively, I latched on to her wrist.   
She gasped as if she had been being held underwater. She coughed and sputtered in to life.  
“You see Governor, I’ve learned a lot of things about this world. Rule one is that having a skill isn’t enough. You need to know how to use it. And since something about me obviously scares you, you can’t even begin to concentrate on controlling someone else.”  
Diamond unsheathed a hidden dagger from beneath the couch and lunged in to the air like an overactive windup toy. She plunged it in to his heart with excited vigor. But there was remorse in her eyes, probably something I wouldn’t have noticed a few days ago. Still, she had just killed the governor.  
She covered his body with a blanket after removing the dagger from his body.  
“Their forces should retreat soon. That assault was entirely based on claiming the basement. Now that their leader is dead, the other soldiers lack a hive mind.”  
“You mean they can sense he’s dead?”  
“Far more than that, Carter. Shadowing extends to much more than an aptitude for killing things. Combine that with his enormous potential for charming, and suddenly you’ve got an entire army connected to a single person.”  
“That explains why the King is so adamant to get to me.”  
“But it doesn’t explain why the governor was the one to do it. Governor Hutchens seemed way too important to risk that mission.”   
My mind was racing. It might have been adrenaline, and it might have been the answer. “Diamond, what if the King knew the Governor would fail?”  
She raised her eyebrows. “What are you suggesting?”  
“That maybe a small bit of Will is still somewhere in there. Will knew that no one could ever responsibly wield the items in the basement, right? What if he messed with the invasion plans to stop that ever happening?”  
“Assuming that any bit of the King is still good. He’s never going to be the same person,” Diamond tried to reason.  
“Maybe…” I wasn’t convinced, “Diamond, check your mirror.”  
She had much more power than I did, but Diamond didn’t protest. She ran down the stairs and returned with the silver device. She flashed me an image of the beach.  
Except for the wounded, broken buildings, and scattered weapons, there was no evidence that the opposition had even been there. The government soldiers must have immediately retreated the moment the Governor had died. Almost as if they had been given new commands…  
“You should probably help your fellow rebels.” I suggested.  
She wasn’t as compliant the second time. “They’ll have to excuse my absence. That took a lot out of me.” I noticed how exhausted she looked. But she wasn’t just tired, she also had a sad look, almost as if she was grieving.  
“What did he show you?” I asked.  
She ignored my question, “You’re welcome to stay and recover.” She blinked, “Actually, stay anytime you need it.” Surprisingly, I didn’t sense any malevolent intentions. She seemed to genuinely want to help me.  
“I’ll keep that in mind. But my friends might be in trouble.” I had no idea how hurt Amber was.  
“Any favor then. Anytime Carter. I want you to trust me.”  
I grinned and shook my head. I started heading for the door when something reached my mind. My poisonous tongue shot out as I turned around. “You can start by giving me some real Adverian. To trust someone, I need to start by knowing they’re telling the truth.”  
I suppressed a full-on laugh as her jaw dropped all the way to the ground. As I left and hurried forward to help my friend, I couldn’t help but break down in to a full tornado of giggles.  
It was something about her expression.   
***  
Amber had a mild concussion, nothing compared to the amount of brain damage she’d already been through. Xander had been able to protect her, but it was now evident there were several other rebels in far more danger.  
Numbers tallied eighty-three dead, and at least three times that number hurt. Medical assistance from the few doctors on the island had already been pushed over the edge, and this was stretching them to their limits. Even non-healers rushed to help them, wrapping bandages around people and cleaning infected cuts.  
Even with all the destruction, it still seemed a miracle that more people weren’t dead. I sensed I was right. Something was off about the invasion. It had been from the moment they had managed to deceive Diamond’s mirror.  
Noah, Xander, and I stood awkwardly without knowing what to do. None of us had any formal training in any part of war. None of us could do anything.  
“He’s dead, isn’t he?” Noah whispered to me. Xander was in the infirmary, trying to comfort dying soldiers. Quite a few hours had passed, but the entire camp was still on high alert. It was as if everyone else sensed the uneasy feeling I had.  
“Diamond did it,” I replied. I didn’t want to tell him who had allowed that to happen in the first place.  
“Yeah, that’s not the entire truth.” Noah accused me lightly.  
“How’d you know?”  
He rolled his eyes, “Carter c’mon. If you want to try and lie to me again, you can start by stop looking so guilty.”  
“Nothing gets past you.”  
“I live with Xander. Of course I do.”  
“I’m sorry- “  
“Don’t be. You’ve taken enough crap. Just remember that you need to take time for yourself, okay? Larma will catch up to you.”  
“Karma,” I corrected.  
Noah sighed, “You get my point.”  
The setting sun was turning the sky a burnt crimson. The horizon was stained with blood and darkening on the day.  
Everything sucked. Now, more than ever. Too many people were dead because of me. Even Governor Hutchens probably hadn’t deserved death. At least on Earth he would have been put through a fair trial. Maybe it was war, and maybe it was necessary, but that didn’t make it okay. Justice was deserved by everyone on both sides.

But who killed Lady Lumanine? A nasty little voice whispered in my head. And under a white flag no less. How can you argue for justice if you can’t even control yourself?  
What if I wanted to kill everything?   
What if I was just as bad as the rest of them?   
What if I could never be normal again? `

Chapter Twenty-Four  
Earth-bound  
A war counsel was held two nights later to plot the rebels’ next move. Diamond invited me to the meeting, and I thoroughly considered but eventually declined. I hoped my relationship with her would improve; that didn’t mean I trusted her all the way. Mark caught me up on all that had happened: almost two hundred people had died, after many had succumbed to injuries and they planned to use the near massacre as a focal point to rally some of the neutral islands.   
Apparently over the last few days, support for the rebellion had spread exponentially. News about Relaya and I’s execution had spread like wildfire from citizen to citizen. People had been angry before, and this was the excuse the rebels had been waiting for years to transpire and set their plans in to motion. Even some governors had joined our side, after mass public outcry for justice.  
It wasn’t all positive. The large majority of islands remained loyal to the monarchy. Scattered rebels trapped in these areas had to be careful as laws were harshened. Curfews were now enforced almost everywhere across Latuga, and anyone trying to escape and make it to the base would have to face a wall of soldiers.  
I’ssho, the island Governor Hutchens had provided jurisdiction over, had fallen in to chaos. Mark informed me Diamond considered it our biggest victory, as they had tried two months ago to take the massive government stronghold. Now it was claimed by the people, who were trying to recollect the island in to an independent democratic republic. The problem was, with the lack of organization, there was little they could do to help the rebel cause. They were mostly focused on fending attacks from fleets. The King seemed most desperate to take back that island because it was one of the largest on Latuga and had millions of people across it.  
The plan was a retaliation on Primo Island. If that went fully successful, they would capture a few more key island and assemble to storm the capital. Then, hopefully, I could go back to my family.  
The funny thing was, I was going to miss a lot of things about Latuga. I had grown attached to Noah, had become like a brother to Xander, and I even couldn’t imagine leaving Amber. They were part of my family now to, and they had risked the world for me.   
And it was obvious they felt the same way.  
When Diamond approached me about going to Primo Island, the three of them made sure they were going with me. I don’t know how they would handle it when it was finally time for me to leave. I didn’t know how I would handle it when it was finally time for me to go.  
Poor Amber had a pretty bad concussion. She was riddled for headaches for hours at a time. Every day, she was scheduled for fifteen minutes of physical healing, which was apparently far less than normally allotted. Medical authority was by far the most shaken by the war, not just on the base, but all around the world. Disease and infection was rampant in poverty, and ruling powers refused to do anything about it. The Juma fever I had nearly died from had an outbreak in the Air Stone islands and wasn’t stopping at its shores. Death was spreading almost as fast as plague itself.  
I was given a mini mission with Erin, the girl from Nadine. She arrived and settled in for only a few hours before she and I were immediately told to go back to Drakona Island to fish out any ragnok fruit. They needed all medical supplies they could get.  
Erin was nice, but I really didn’t want to talk to her as she propelled us back to the island. I didn’t want to end up caring about another person I would have to leave.  
The island’s forest was completely charred and burned. All the dragons looked as if they had been activated, but we were still careful about poking around for any salvageable fruit.  
Overall, we found about seven intact Ragnok. Probably not worth the trip for us; definitely worth it for the people suffering from internal hemorrhaging and were slowly bleeding to death. It still wasn’t close to the amount they needed to save everyone. Healers still couldn’t even get to half of the victims because of soldier blockades that were being set up like little dots around beaches.  
When the trip was over, I was grateful to be alone. Even as an extrovert, I was getting tired of constant human interaction. Save my three friends. I could talk to them the majority of the time without much effort.  
Sometimes it was like an exchange of culture as I detailed Earth’s history, and they talked about Latuga, which was far more complicated than it had sounded.  
Things were getting better. For me, and everyone else. Or so I thought.  
***  
I was really starting to home in on my distortion skills. I successfully slowed reality to a crawl and lengthened a foot to almost a mile. I hadn’t told anyone, for fear that I was getting to good, too fast. I still remembered how Diamond had been when I’d first gotten there.  
“Wow,” whistled Amber from behind me as I finished up a session in the woods. I claimed the blackened spot where I had practiced shadowing as my personal training ground. It was great to have a peaceful place just for myself. A safe space was exactly what I needed.  
I had been in my element and jumped as I realized she had been watching for quite a while.  
I blushed, “I didn’t know I had an audience.” I tried to wipe off some of my sweat on my robe. God, why was I so embarrassed?  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were so private,” she teased. I rolled my eyes obnoxiously.   
“Why don’t you come join civilization? Diamond didn’t even ask you to come out here.”  
“I like it here,” I said stubbornly.  
“I really don’t like you right now,” She blinked, “Seriously, it’s not good for you to be out here all the time.”  
I thought for a second, “I guess I didn’t realize I was being reclusive. It just became my norm.” Wow Carter, now you sound like a weird pseudo-intellectual trying to explain why he hates people. I thought it was less that I didn’t like people, but that I didn’t want to see everyone so hurt and damaged. Not just physically, also the sad expression everyone had.  
“You are so extra,” she jabbed.  
“I’m quite aware of my dramatic tendencies, thank you very much.”  
“Sadly though, I’m not coming out here to invite you to lunch or something. Mark thinks you should go to the war council. You’ve spent a lot of time around the King, and your still very much an asset with your skills. You need to know the battle plans for Primo.”  
“Ughh. Why doesn’t he ask you to go?”  
She scowled, “As much as they advertise freedom, I’m still seen as a threat.” That was fair. She had been under mind control and killed many rebels. But I didn’t say that to her face.   
“Fine,” I caved in. “Where’s the meeting?”  
“Right off the center of the main street. Big tent, you can’t miss it.  
“Thanks,” I said as if I really cared about a stupid war council. The rebels spent way too much time talking and planning. They needed to actually start doing things instead about the socioeconomic problems that would come after they toppled the government. At the rate they had been going, that would be several years.

At the very least, the discussion that ensued was interesting. After having two consecutive body parts and a specific vouch from Diamond, they grudgingly let me in too one of the oddest assortments of people I’d ever seen.  
Mark looked tired on the right side of Diamond herself. On her left was an ancient man that looked as if he was several years overdue of a sunburn. Across from him was an older woman with modest island attire and brilliant platinum hair. There were one or two other rebel officials I recognized that formed a table of only seven people. There was a remaining empty seat just for me, and a few other guards, but the place was remarkably desolate to designate such a large tent.  
“This is the boy you’ve marveled over?” The man on Diamond’s left sneered, as I found my place, “The most powerful distorter you’ve ever seen?” On one hand I was mildly offended. On the other, I agreed with him. I was just a fourteen-year-old kid that was lucky enough to have certain skills. Maybe even unlucky if you looked at shadowing.  
“Yes, Carter’s the main reason I was able to kill Governor Hutchens.” She didn’t mention. I was the one who messed up her original plan to send an arrow through his heart.  
“A mere governor in a sea of corrupt politicians,” The woman with silver hair pointed out.  
“-And a shadower,” Mark inserted. “It’s been years since we’ve been able to eliminate anyone in the king’s inner circle. Don’t forget about Lady Lumanine- “  
“An innocent woman killed under white flag!” another rebel argued.  
“Lady Lumanine was not innocent!” I interrupted. “She was part of the plot to execute Relaya. And say what you want about her, she was by far the sanest person on this whole damn island chain! Forgive me if I’m being rude, but you guys don’t know a thing about your opposition. I’ve been here a month and I think I understand more about the king than you do!”  
Mark’s eyes flashed protective warnings to each of his associates. Diamond grinned and let out a small chuckle. She tapped her temple. “That my friends, is why we need him. It’s not just his powers. Its Earth. After years of being away from home I’ve lost what was so different about that place. Something stays inside of us while our hope is still strong.”  
“What are you suggesting?” the distinguished woman pressed.  
“Something that’s been on my mind for a while,” Diamond breathed, “That maybe there’s a reason aliens are more powerful.”  
A collective sigh engulfed the table. I was guessing that they had heard this theory before. She saw that she was quickly losing her audience, “Listen to me. Look, over the years I’ve noticed a large fluctuation in my powers over time. It’s been in direct correlation with my remaining memories of before. Of my hope for ever coming back. All of you have noticed that I’m getting weaker. This is the only plausible reason why.”  
“Hope is a powerful thing,” Mark commented. Was that what it was? Was my prowess for shadowing and distortion directly related to my fantasy of seeing my family? Then why was I getting stronger as I put less and less in to thinking there was a possibility of escaping from this political nightmare.  
“I don’t think its hope,” I said. “Hope isn’t always the answer.”  
“Carter what do you mean?” The wrinkly man entertained the notion that I had a theory.  
I realized what I was about to say would probably throw me under the bus. I really had to regain control of my mouth. “Hope’s just a piece of the puzzle. Maybe that’s the cornerstone for Diamond, but it’s just a section of a larger web of personality. Its emotion that drives our powers. If I’m a distorter, maybe that means I’m confused about my own reality.” And if I was a shadower, maybe it meant I had a knack for murder.  
When I had first started talking, Diamond looked displeased and skeptical; like the rest of the table, she now thought I may have been on to something. “You might be right Carter.” The corner of her mouth twitched as if she itched to add something else.  
“And it all connects back to your experiences on Earth.” Mark said.  
As the arrogant teenager I was, I asserted myself as the authority figure. “It’s not important, and it won’t help the war. I assume you’re all really here to plan a retaliation?” Nods spread around the table, “Then we should worry about that. Besides, I won’t be here long enough for you guys to figure out that mystery.”   
I felt uneasy glances around the circle from the last comment. I wanted to tell them that I could see what they were doing, that I knew they had the same desperate needs as the king and all the other governors. Even with all that, I couldn’t bring myself to stand up to them. For all my mouth ran, I didn’t have a shred of bravery when it meant stuff that actually mattered.  
I coughed, “So, what’s the plan?”  
Mark spoke up, “We gained many soldiers when I’ssho fell in to partial anarchy. Julia, it’s your proposal, do you want to give us a synopsis?”  
The woman opposite the soldier grinned. “I’m the rebel’s war strategist, for those of you that don’t know.” She gave me a tender smile that I didn’t return. “We could capture Juma if we had complete control over I’ssho’s army. But right now, their citizens are scared. They need victory, a recollection to re-inspire them.”  
“A rallying point?” I asked.  
“Exactly,” she said. “An island called Ronnanashi is directly connected to I’ssho through builder’s bridge. Right now, the king is sending in soldiers through from Ronnanashi in to I’ssho.”  
“So is the island really ours?” I reaffirmed.  
“The king is not sending soldiers to regain control of the island,” She corrected, “At the moment, with his forces so spread out, that would be near impossible. What he’s really trying to do is scare them. He knows that those millions of people are our one shot at taking down Juma. We’re going to defend that window, take the bridge down, and broadcast that to the public. If they see we can protect them, they might listen to our plan to capture Juma.”  
“-And then I can go home,” I whispered to myself. That was, assuming nothing went wrong. Something always went wrong.  
“Sounds simple enough,” I said, “So what’s the problem?”  
Julia’s smile widened, “I was waiting for you to ask that. The bridge is magically reinforced. It will require a sufficient amount of magic to break it.”  
“So why can’t we just defend it?” Another rebel pondered.  
Mark stepped in, “I thought about that as well. We need a symbol to rally the soldiers. Just defending the bridge won't be enough. We need to tear it down to symbolize out triumph. Either that, or we try to get them to follow us just for stopping a few government soldiers from getting in. They’re looking for permanent solutions.”  
“How much magic are we looking at?” I inquired.  
Everyone looked at me.   
So, there was a reason I’d been invited. They thought whatever I had would be enough to take down the bridge.  
“Look I’m flattered, but I’m no superhero,” I said, flustered. “If none of you can take down that level of enchantment, what makes you think I can?”  
Everyone was silent, even Diamond and Mark.  
Only one more question could leave my mouth. “You think I can take down the bridge because I’m a shadower?” I speculated.  
“No…” Diamond said slowly.  
Then it hit me. That’s what that conversation had been about. All that speculation about hope and emotion was trying to find out what made me tic. Words tickled my tongue as I tried to speak. I almost felt betrayed. Just for a second, I had felt like I was beginning to be respected as a person. At least a portion of that was just an act.   
It was less about what skill and more about how I used it. My feelings that accompanied my power. Nobody wanted me because I was a shadower, they wanted me because I knew what do to with it.  
“…You don’t want me because I have a certain skill-,” I started.  
“-We believe in you because you’re from Earth.” Diamond finished.

Chapter Twenty-five  
Uncertain Tides  
“I’m sorry for setting you up like that. We didn’t mean to have a discussion from behind closed doors,” Diamond apologized. As the meeting adjourned, I had tried to escape from whatever excuse was coming my way, but she had cut me off before I could start picking up speed.  
“Diamond, I’m really not in the mood right now, so could you just leave me alone?” I kicked a rock in front of me as I tried to separate myself from her. The rock skidded to a stop about twenty feet from my toes.  
“You and your friends have until night-fall to prepare for I’ssho. We’ll leave then.”   
I had been speed walking towards the rock, and I slowly turned around. “Didn’t you hear me? Leave me alone!”  
“As long as-   
“-Oh, I’ll be ready for I’ssho. I just don’t want anything to do with you! Trust starts when you stop sharing secrets, which you haven’t seemed to have been able to do!” The anger came out of nowhere, and I reminded myself to bite my tongue in case I would regret it later. So, I turned around and fled for Amber’s tent.  
***  
Amber and Noah were more than enthusiastic when I told them about the new plan. They were determined not to let me out of their sight again. Or, as Xander put it, “It's been forever since there’s been any real rebel plans.” The three of them were eager to get their feet wet after the invasion. I surmised Amber was especially bitter because a large section of her already exceedingly small and damaged tent had been destroyed in the carnage.  
It turned out they had been preparing for a chance like this for a while now. When I went with Noah to assemble my own things, he held up a pre-prepared bag for the both of us.   
“Amber and I were talking-,”  
“You and Amber were talking! God, that must have been a happy conversation. I mean…” I trailed off as he raised his eyebrows, “Sorry. Go on.”  
“Thanks. Amber and I have been talking for a while. A mission like this might be your best chance at an escape. If the battle goes well, Diamond might steam right for Juma. If that’s the case, you need to take that window.”  
I was speechless about how much the two of them had thought about me. I didn’t know what I would do without them, after all they had done.  
I hugged Noah and thanked him, which made him markedly blush. “I wanted to make up for being selfish when you first got here.” I had almost forgotten about that argument.  
“I was going to let that that slide seeing as you nearly died an hour later.” He laughed grimly.  
“Good point.” I wondered how much of this secret project was orchestrated by Noah. I had a feeling distinctive feeling that Amber barely knew about it. Noah might have told me that to deflect attention. It seemed like him. It shouldn’t have really mattered, but I knew my departure would be far from uneventful.  
“C’mon.” Noah broke the staring match he had been having with my hammock.  
“Let’s go.” We split up so he could check on Amber and I could find out which ship we’d be sailing on.  
The rebels had managed to capture one of the government’s ships, the very one Governor Hutchen used. Once again, it seemed a step too easy. We just happened to have a governor sanctioned boat to float right in to a battle heavy port. I hoped for once it was just luck.   
Mark sectioned off some lower quarters for the four of us to sleep, a small cabin with just enough space to move around. I set our stuff down and went back to find the group.  
But right behind Amber’s tent, there was a conversation going on that wasn’t meant my ears. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but they were clearly talking about me.  
“-You told him I was okay with that?” Amber’s voice was angry and strained.  
“You think I am? Neither of us want him to go. It’s what’s best for Carter.” That was clearly Noah.  
“Is it? You’ve heard him talk about his parents. He doesn’t have a family outside of us.”  
“It’s his choice. You know that.” How long had conversations like this been going on between them? Red envy was coursing through me. Jealousy.   
Maybe that was why there was always tension. Noah liked Amber. Or the other way around. I shouldn’t have been mad, but I felt betrayed by both.  
“I know. We haven’t much time. It’s now or never.”  
I coughed and stepped in to their view. They moved apart from each-other and reddened. I cleared my throat, “Ready to go?”  
***  
It would take two days to make it to I’ssho. As we sailed, I tried to retreat in to isolation to no avail. I wasn’t allowed a moment alone as if the two of them knew I was trying to wallow in my own depression. Friendship was a double-sided coin.  
I was shocked when I found a mirror in the upper cabins. My cheeks were bare and bony, my eyes shadowy and distrustful. Nobody had told me how extremely malnourished I’d become. I was well aware that I hadn’t been eaten, almost transitioning in to anorexic over the past weeks, but the consequences were far more drastic than I ever would have imagined. If I had been back on the private island on Earth, I might have failed to recognize myself.  
That was the beginning of an awakening. On the surface it was more practical-I had to look more or less the same when I returned to my family, not an unrecognizable skeleton. Inside, it might have helped to improve my emotional state as well. I needed to eat more.  
When the sun set on the second day, it was announced that we were reaching the famous ‘shallow waters’ of I’ssho. When you leaned over the side of the boat Titanic style, it was no deeper than twenty feet. We were rerouted several times along with the other boats to avoid being amuck in in the sand.  
There was an uneasiness in the air not unlike that of the environment before a middle school sports game. The rebels had far higher stakes than losing to the other team.  
Jellyfish lit up the night when the sun disappeared. At first there were small patches of bioluminescent tendrils that grew in to an entire sea of dancing purple.  
“They’re so pretty,” I whispered in to the cool night air to no one in particular.  
“They’ll also kill you if you give them a chance,” Noah joined my viewing of the light show.  
“Didn’t I tell you to work on positivity?”  
“Mmh. Sure.” His eyes twinkled to the rebounding rays of light from the water. “They possess a potent neurotoxin that brings paralysis within fifteen seconds. Seizures arrive at five minutes, death in no less than fifteen.”  
“They’re also very pretty.”  
“You’re welcome to go swim with them. It’ll be the ‘prettiest’ quarter hour of your very short life.”  
“We still might die anyway.” I said seriously.  
“Then who would appreciate my amazing quips?”  
“Amazing?” I joked.  
Noah didn’t reply. He was focusing on the ocean. He raised his hand, and simultaneously a ball of pulsing water with a single jellyfish contained within was lifted in to the air. The tendrils snaked still deeper in to the water and floated like ribbons in the air I was they were lifted.  
Noah brought the bell within arm’s reach. I had a nagging urge to lean out and touch it. I could die in a beautiful way instead of being lost in a war that I shouldn’t have even been a part of.  
“It really is amazing,” I breathed.  
A voice boomed over Noah’s next comment- “I’ssho is on the horizon!” Noah dropped the ball out of shock back in to the lagoon. It made a huge splash that was barely heard over the orders being shouted for preparation. I cursed under my breath from annoyance and mild anger.  
A woman streaked by our spot to the hull of the ship. Within thirty seconds, the boat was in pure chaos.  
“That’s my cue.” I apologized. He bit his tongue to hold off a snide comment.   
“Chaos is your signal?” he replied instead, staring at his feet.   
“You know me well.” I didn’t miss a beat.   
By the light of the jellyfish you could see flashes of fighting far beyond to the shore. Too huge land masses seemed to engulf us as we raced towards the fight. The bridge connecting them was far larger than I expected, an Architectural feat spanning more than a mile. I was sure even this far away Its reflecting blue design would put anything back home to shame.   
The bridge mirrored the ocean, only tampered by tiny bursts of flames and magic lining across the construction and hundreds of yards in every direction. The heat met right at the center of the expanse, but the bridge refused to shake with weakness.   
Mark laughed as I tried to catch a final glance at the horizon before I disappeared below deck, “You haven’t seen anything yet if builder’s bridge put you at awe.”   
He equipped me with light armor fashioned from an animal hide and a small dagger to carry at my belt. “Use it as a last resort. You won't want to fall in to physical fightinless you're not able to muster anything else. Whatever you can do with a blade, our enemy can do better.” I surmised that those that didn’t have schools would have had to prove especially adept at normal combat to match their peers. It would make them all the more dangerous because they didn’t have to rely on that crutch.   
Within minutes our boat was slowing as we reached shore. The screaming that had accompanied the initial jolt of arrival was replaced with a united spirit. There was still a quiet buzz, however now much more confident. I began to feel there was more than a chance that we could win. I just hoped my fellow rebels, (if I could call myself one at this point) felt the same.   
A thud sounded the final alarm as we hit the sand. Mark wished me luck and headed above deck to be on the front line. His full body armor didn’t weigh him down as he raced to help his friends.   
I was struck with less doubt than I’d expected as I followed beside him. I had never wanted this to be my war, but now it was starting to become my own. The ultimate outcome still might depend on me.   
The final rays of sun light were long gone, and the bleakness night toned our spirit. I looked back at the sea and saw that the jellyfish had all disappeared deep beneath the waves. It was now almost entirely black.   
We ran to help. I had neglected to realize that we wouldn’t be landing directly next to the fight. We had to run a few hundred yards so our boat would be safe to harbor without being blown up.  
By the time we had made it to the circle of conflict, the rebels had lost a large amount of progress on the bridge. The government soldiers had pushed them to about one-third of the remaining walkway, which we were at least holding for now. It seemed like for every soldier the cut down, five more would spring up from the other island.  
A flame singed my leg and warmed my flesh. It wasn’t enough to burn my skin, but too make the dermis extremely uncomfortable. I cried out in mild pain and wacked away at any tiny embers. They quickly dissipated and left a black mark on my knee.  
Mark was the first to reach the bridge. He galloped up the initial road and sprinted to the nearest opposition. I watched him plunge his sword in to a soldier, simultaneously spinning to block the blunt of another one’s strike. He ducked as the first crumpled to the ground without sound.  
A third soldier tapped his sword, which instantaneously changed in to a plastic toy. The toy bent in to uselessness as Mark struggled to pull it from the fallen combatant. In an effort to lunge at the changer, the second warrior was able to knock Mark down.  
I screamed out in fear for Mark. I was too far away too help him, especially if I wanted to protect my own body. I thought maybe I could use distortion to buy him some time, but when I tried to reach out to the power, it refused to budge. Perhaps I was too far away, or maybe I couldn’t focus out of lack of control.  
Then a large wave, slightly too large to be a natural part of the tide, glanced the bridge. It washed just a few inches deep around Mark. The water passed easily over his body as he rose to recover, but it hardened to ice over the enemy. For a few seconds they remained frozen in place. Mark removed a spear from a corpse and disposed of the two of them.  
I spotted Noah knee deep in the water directing the wave back in to the water. His knees shook as last few droplets went back in to the ocean. Changing the state of the element in to ice must have taken a lot out of him. Even from hundreds of feet away, I could see droves of sweat cascading down his face.  
The ice caused more people to slip then it should have. I saw a warrior, despite being cautious, trip and land awkwardly on his wrist. I couldn’t tell who’s side she was on.  
Noah started wheezing from exertion, and the short spell broke. The ice melted and absorbed back in to the water. The trick had bought us the few seconds we needed to catch up with I’ssho’s forces.  
A man began to charge in my direction from about thirty feet away. I quickly set up the illusion that he was closer, almost within swords reach. I was able to project without really entering his mind, but the illusion held. He swung wildly and missed, tumbling himself over the edge and off the bridge.  
I cut down soldier after soldier like they were waves of grain, and I a scythe. Each illusion took another ounce of strength, wavering a little more each time as my energy drained away. My body was coated in sweat, and soon I realized that I would have to resort to something else before I collapsed. I considered the dagger in my pocket, but worried that with no formal training it would be just a hinderance. My shadowing wasn’t an option either. Even if I could harness and control it, it would tire me just as fast as distorting had.  
Just when I thought I was ready to collapse; a gasp arose from both sides. I looked up confused, but I was just one of many faces straining to see what had happened. I scanned the battlefield, which had frozen for a brief second. Nothing was out of place in the warzone.  
I realized I wasn’t looking in the right direction. I turned to see a trio of dragons rising from the night. They seemed to appear out of nowhere, like they had risen directly from the hills of I’ssho. Their wings flapped like individual hurricanes. Beneath them was a tiny figure that I couldn’t make out in the dark of night.  
The one on the left was a brilliant white. It scales reflected the small light remaining and made it shine like a lightbulb. It was almost metallic. The right one was foul yellow, like the color of a rotten yolk. It was horribly disformed, its grotesque tail curling around one of its shriveled legs. The center one was completely clear, a slimy skin transparently showing off its organs.  
Within no time the dragons had reached the halted battle. The opposing soldiers jolted in to life as they quickly realized what side the monstrous creatures were on. The see-through dragon flipped its tail and threw five people off the bridge, while the putrid looking dragon coughed an acidic phlegm on to a collection of rebels. The acid burned through their armor within seconds, sending them down as it tore through their flesh to bone. Their screams were soon stifled as a second ball of corrosive sludge was shot up in to the air and finished the job.  
We would be overrun in no time at all if we couldn’t take out the dragons. Even as I whispered words of encouragement to myself, I knew we had a very slim chance of killing all three. Amber and I had been lucky to slay a single dragon, and that was without hordes of government soldiers blocking our way. And these were much larger.  
Something was off about the way they were attacking. As the black dragon let hot embers escape his roaring mouth on to our side of the bridge, it didn’t seem to care that it incinerated at least a dozen soldiers and set fire to three bridge supports in the process. Troopers were starting to catch on and lost the initial burst of confidence that had accompanied the supposed reinforcements.  
The bridge shook as the white one knocked out an abutment. At a certain level, it seemed like they were trying to sink the bridge itself.  
“Retreat!” Someone finally sounded out the alarm. I wasn’t sure who's side they were on, but both took the message. People of all mentalities were running to any form of safety.  
I turned and ran as fast as I could. If the dragons made the bridge collapse, it would take out both me and Diamond. They wouldn’t need any of their sacrificed infantry if the rebellion lost momentum here. It made me wonder if the whole thing had been a trap from the beginning, and furthermore if their servicemen knew about it. As I briefly caught eyes with a terrified man wearing a cobra symbol, I surmised that his expression wasn’t an act.   
That’s when I realized who the figure in the fields was. The man who was controlling the dragons. The only man with enough power or authority to employ that method- the king. A flame burst from the white dragon's mouth and lit the night. The silhouette lit up for a moment and only confirmed my suspicions. The monarch himself had come to end us.   
I was less than an eighth of a mile away from dry land; the translucent dragon blocked the final few sprints in to safety. I thought maybe I could slip past it as it knocked down a few more cables. The bridge shook, and my knees buckled. I managed to remain standing, but I saw Mark take a dive when he was unable to stay up.  
The unstable ground shook like a wave as I ran. Only about half of the unidentifiable faces stayed on their feet. My legs were screaming to stop, but I knew if I did, I would lose momentum and probably die. I only had one more obstacle: a thirty-foot dragon standing in my way.  
Even its beady red eyes were see-through rubies that showed off its organs. It was like it had no real substance, the glass mirror of a real organism. Was it possible the king had taken this monstrosity from something else, mangled it from something incapable of baring all this strength?  
I shook my head. It was like the eyes were telling me things, flooding empathy towards it. It wanted me to help it by making it seem harmless. But this was a living breathing killing machine.  
It moved on its slimy claws and blocked my exit completely. It snarled as I slowed to a stop. The bridge calmed for a second as it focused its sight completely on me. Behind me, even the other dragons ceased their violence to watch me.  
I was terrified and confident all at the same time. I was about turn the other way when I had a crazy thought that would probably get me killed.   
I panicked and hurtled toward the winged serpent like a madman. Even the pellucid beast was surprised, recoiling back with surprise. I reached out and tackled jelly-like tail that curled around a clump of bodies. With all that I had, I pumped as much energy as I could into its lifeforce.  
Instantly the pseudo-solid tail hardened and crumbled to black dust. Some it fell to my feet, while some of it was caught in the wind and floated away. The magic quickly spread like a fuse up its crystalline spine. The dragon turned and snarled feebly as its head peeled anticlimactically in to dark sand without struggle. I had destroyed the entire life force of the dragon before I exhaled. There was no evidence it had ever been there, except for the mound of black crud that lay in in a startling projection of its body on the ground.  
The yellow dragon roared indistinguishably between grief and anger. A sharp ringing was coming from both my own ears and the awed armies. I just killed a dragon. I was oddly untouched as I ran again over its few remains. All I could think was that if everybody didn’t know I was a shadower before-hand, they sure as hell would know now. Most of them had probably never seen anything like what I had just done.  
I collapsed on the beach in a circle of onlookers as I made a final bound off the bridge. I was unconscious long before I hit the ground.

Chapter Twenty-Six  
Plans  
When I woke up, I had a pounding headache. The lack of Tylenol may have been the thing I hated most Latuga. What had happened?  
I shot up in my cot as I remembered what had happened.  
“Where-?”   
“Safe.” Xander was meditating in the tent corner. Faint light shown through the green tent. That odd child never ceased to amaze me.  
He turned on his lap and opened his eyes. I was afraid to ask.   
“Don’t worry, your boyfriend’s safe,” He assured me jokingly. I blushed as deeply as a tomato. “Right, no. Amber’s fine too,” he added.  
“What happened to the bridge?” I asked.  
“The bridge is gone. We played it off like it was supposed to happen. The King took full Ronnanashi with the two surviving dragons. Not a single person’s been allowed out since last night. Were on a small island cove off of I’ssho right now.”  
“So did the plan work? Do we have I’ssho’s full support?”  
“As close as we’re ever going to get, if that’s what you’re asking. We have enough man-power to have a real chance.”  
The tent opened and Amber stepped in. “There the dragon slayer is!” she complimented sarcastically.  
“Shut up,” I said blankly.  
Noah wasn’t far behind Amber, crouching down next to her in the increasingly cramped space. “Let’s make it a party, why don’t we?” I joked.  
“Why is it that at any given time, one of us is either unconscious or recovering?” Amber commented.  
“Says you,” Xander shot back.  
“Touchy subject,” Noah raised his eyebrows. “Seriously though, are you okay? Summoning that amount of power should have killed you.”  
“Glad my health is in your best interest. I’m hanging in there.”  
“Listen, you don’t know what you’re messing with Carter. There hasn’t been a reliable source for information about shadowing for hundreds of years. Governor Hancock was far too reclusive to reveal anything. We don’t know how it’s affecting you.”  
“I would have died without it! It saved my life then,” I said stubbornly. I looked to Amber, but she had her arms crossed and bore a frown. Xander too.  
“As much as I hate it, he’s right.” She said softly. Her voice was tender and shaky, like she was standing at the edge of a glass skyscraper. “You may not realize the ramifications because you haven’t been here long, but any skill has its repercussions, especially when going up against something that big. You take a risk every time access it. I’m not trying to attack you but take it slow.”  
I found myself unreasonably angry. Where was all this coming from? Couldn’t they see that I didn’t want to use shadowing? That I would have died without it? Wasn’t that far more dangerous than using my skills to my advantage?   
Noah was glaring far too similarly to my mother. “We’re glad you survived. We’re just worried about you.” Was I mad because they were wrong, or because part of it was touching my own securities? However much they were yelling; it was far less than how much I would be beating myself up about later. Maybe I was just annoyed because I was trying harder than anyone to stay hinged on my normalcy.   
I wanted to ask Mark about it. He had always been helpful and knowledgeable and didn’t really feel like spending a lot of time with my friends right now.  
“Where’s Mark?” The three of them exchanged glances nervously. I was really tired of them doing that. Even Xander now seemed to be part of this ‘Carter Watch’.  
“He’s dead.”  
I nearly choked. How was that possible? I thought back to the last time I had seen him, on the bridge. He had been knocked down when the foundations had been breaking. I hadn’t gone back to help him…  
I kept feeling like certain people were untouchable. Mark had known his stuff. He was an expert strategist and fearless warrior, and he was one of the bravest people I’d ever met. Repeatedly, I was being reminded that no one was above death in wars. Hope, Relaya, and now Mark. Countless others I’d never met that perished at the hand of the sword.  
“Wow,” I breathed.  
“Yeah,” Noah nodded. He must have been taking this the hardest. As the one who introduced me to the swordsman and rebel leader, Noah was probably close with him. I really had barely known the man.  
It might have been better to forget about it for a while. Grieving about it like I had with Relaya would just put his death in vain. I promised myself that that I wouldn’t fall back in to depression. This wasn’t a good place to fall apart. That would have to wait until he had been avenged.   
***  
I tried to leave twice from my cot, both ending painfully on the ground. My muscles seemed to get sorer the more I used them, as if I had deactivated the pain and moving them was just waking it up. Even my neck throbbed like I had landed on it awkwardly when I got knocked out. The day was among my top five worst of the past month, at least in terms of the agonizing pins and needles that were shooting through my sore muscles.  
It was hard to stay mad at my trio of friends. They were all just too goofy. In the end, they had just been worrying about me. I just looked like a jerk.  
As the tinges of lights that shot through the tent fabric faded to a deep pink, I started to regain my strength. After much chagrin from Amber’s judging eyes, I was finally able to sit up. My back screamed like it was on fire, and my neck ached at the tendons. They may have been right about one thing- I would not be attempting something like that again any time soon.  
“Graceful,” She snorted as I got to my shaky feet. “You good now? I’m kind of tired of being your babysitter.”  
“Ha. Very funny. I’ll be fine.”  
When she left, I tried to stretch fully but ended up sprawled on the ground with my face in the sand. It was frankly embarrassing that I couldn’t walk more than a couple of steps without falling flat on my face.  
When I was finally having success, being able to walk back and forth through my small space, Diamond had come to find me.  
“I’m not going to be able to get where ever you want me to go.” I said.  
“Relax. I just came here to talk to you.” I loosened and took a break back on my bedding.  
“About-?” I prompted impatiently. I noticed her hair had been styled in to long braids that ended in icy strands near her back. Each band of hair was styled with a bead, so every time she moved, she shimmered like a rainbow. She wore a long white dress that complimented her height and athletic build.  
“We’re proceeding to Juma. We have enough to make it, especially with the king unsuspecting on Ronnanashi. This will be the last leg.” She stared at me inquisitively. “So I wonder what you’re plans are.”  
I realized what she was talking about. The sand floor suddenly became remarkably interesting. “You’d let me?”  
She smiled instead of answering. I tried not to let my mind float to empty wishes. My family, cheeseburger, a long hot shower. They all seemed so far away. This had started out as the dream world, but it was starting to reciprocate.  
And anyway, I was still several steps away before I could make that leap. Even if I could survive the jump, would I let myself do it? I was still indebted to Noah and Amber. I couldn’t just leave them to deal with the end of a war. What kind of one-sided friendship would that be, after they had saved my life so many times?  
“What’s with the get-up?” I finally said.  
She looked down at her extravagant outfit as if she hadn’t noticed it before. “There’s a summit tonight for all of the complying governors. We’ll take an official vote on the leader of the rebellion.”  
“You expect to win?” If I knew anything about her, it was that she was not passing up the chance to take control.  
“I do.” I had mixed feelings. On one side, the vote probably wouldn’t be permanent. Diamond was willing to make sacrifices that could save the people here in such a desperate time. On the other, I wasn’t entirely sure if she was more for the people or herself. Regardless of what I could do, if she was confident, she could win, she probably would.  
“I- “  
“Don’t trust me?”  
“You really need to stop doing that.”  
She grinned. “You should go take a run. I’ve been in worse slumps with my skills. The worse you feel, the faster you’ll heal. You’ll need your strength.”  
My mouth started working on its own. “Diamond…?” Her braids moved softly around her dark neck. I had the simple connection with her that I was of the same race. Everyone else I had met besides Amber had been white. It shouldn’t have been a reason to open up about my feelings, but it gave me a longing for my own mother.  
“What?” She sensed something was wrong and tilted her head in empathy.  
“How did…How did you decide there wasn’t a point in going back?” I couldn’t believe what I was asking.  
She bit her lip and sighed. It might have been my imagination, but I thought I saw a tear play on the corner of her eyelid. She had a tender look that was completely absent from her normal calculated expression. It felt like she genuinely cared. “When I realized my relationships here were better than anything I had on Earth. When I loved Latuga more than I loved my home, that’s what it became.”  
“Diamond…” I croaked. I didn’t know where all this nervousness came from. Hadn’t all I wanted was to make it back to my family.  
This is your family, a nasty little voice in my head whispered. Diamond had an expression on her face I had never seen her wear before- regret.  
“What do I do?”   
In response, she merely embraced me tight against her chest. With all the emotions swirling around inside of me, my eyes exploded. I cried softly in to Diamond’s comforting body, wondering which family I really wanted.

Chapter Twenty-Seven  
Return to Juma  
When I had first left Juma with Noah, I hadn’t seen the full extent of the palace. I knew I had seen only a small portion of it from my stay, and we had left from a secret entrance that wouldn’t let us observe the outside structure. I had been told about its grandeur and magnificence. Yet it still took my breath away.  
Every space and detail had been designed exactly for a purpose. I couldn’t begin to process the beautiful mosaics and glass fountains that made up the courtyard. The waterfalls flowing down walls that united man-made instruction and nature couldn’t be appreciated by just eyes. Every knob, every stone, was a polished, shining, gold, that whispered perfection. I had no doubt the palace followed a perfect golden ratio.   
Even though it was by far the most beautiful building I had ever seen, the architects still clearly took defense in to mind. There were three sets of walls that protected the initial dais, each made out of solid platinum. A healer had whispered to me this morning that they all had their own array of booby traps. We would not be taking the falsely welcoming archway canals through those blockades.  
Little known to most, even among the governments inner circle, there was a second gate to the east. Governor Catherine of the Air Stone Islands had grudgingly told the leaders of the summit about this second option, which she had only ever heard rumors about. Amber was able to confirm that she had once heard a merchant mention it when she was a slave on Juma. It was a hunch that would waste us time if it was wrong but would certainly be worth it in order to avoid the defenses. But the choice wasn’t up to me.  
Diamond won the vote two nights ago. The title gave her official control of the rebel armies, and little could be done to override her requests. She had taken the promise that she would only remain total executor while Latuga was still in dire need for her blunt choices.  
The past fifty-four hours had been the most neurotic of my life. My nails had been chewed to awkward stubs. I had slept about as much as a college student with a study cram and pack of Red Bulls. I even tried meditation with Xander, which did little to calm my mounting anxiety which increasingly got angrier as we neared Juma.   
The only bright side of the passing time was the fading of pain and soreness. By noon today, my frequent muscle cramps had resigned in to uncomfortable pulses. Still, it deeply reminded me of the danger of exerting myself that far again. Hopefully I wouldn’t be fighting another dragon any time soon.  
“Are you ready?” I jumped as put his hand on my shoulder. He snorted, “You’re jumpier than usual.” He had been making light of my increasingly polarizing personality over the past few days by lightly teasing me. It at least helped to ease my discomfort for brief moments, and I had actually engaged in playful banter a couple of times.   
I loved spending time with Amber, but she was a melodramatic heap of sadness in an even worse state than me. I had been guiltily avoiding her. I was afraid that if I opened up to her, I’d end up spilling my guts about possibly staying. She’d do anything to make that happen.  
“Something’s not right,” I said. “We haven’t had any trouble on the water. We haven’t seen a trace of anybody here yet.” We were curving around a rock cliff that now began to obstruct our view of the palace.   
“You’re complaining about that?” He put his elbows on the railing and hunched over the side of the boat, “Again with the negativity.”  
“Being careful is not the same as being pessimistic,” I shot back.  
He threw up his hands, “I’m not attacking you,” He said.  
“Mhh.” I grumbled.  
Noah almost toppled over the side as the boat anchored. I reached out and grabbed his hand as he fell. He got footing on the ledge and steadied out. I quickly noticed that my hand was still holding his and I yanked it away.  
“Thanks.” His eyes flashed mischievously.  
“No problem,” I said.

We docked in a boat together and hiked up a beaten stone path with a small group of twenty. Like the other secret path, it was too small for many to go through at once. Diamond had assigned the four of us together for the initial scouting wave.  
The passageway was unremarkable, very much like Noah’s. A few rebels carried torches; the tunnel had no lighting beyond the first ten feet illuminated by sunlight. It was like the place was purposely hidden behind a small hill to block out any natural light.  
Noah had the same thinking. “It certainly stinks like the other one.” He was right- The passage was unbearably musty. It riddled me with memories of that night, so long ago, when I had first lost Relaya.  
“You okay?” I had started crying again. My eyes were actually starting to feel strain from repetitive use of my tear ducts.  
I wiped myself off. “Fine.”  
As we went along, the archways that held up the tunnel’s foundations changed from wood to polished metal. The smell faded in to the background.  
It funneled to a larger channel. We could now walk side by side without worrying about bumping in to each other. Up ahead was a larger natural cavern supported by giant stone pillars. A few rebels rushed ahead as it got brighter.  
The teenager in front held up her torch, which had little need at this point. She turned and smiled like she had won the lottery. I was sure she was about to scream a battle cry, but as her mouth opened, a click happened behind the wall on her left side. The woman turned in surprise as a dart entered her skull. She died instantly, falling to the ground with the beginning of a chant still etched on her mouth.  
Someone screamed. The trap must have activated a chain reaction because darts started flying back and forth throughout the shaft. A barb entered another man’s chest before I even had time to react.  
“Drop!” I didn’t know who it was, but I heeded their advice. There couldn’t have been a more terrible suggestion, because the designers of the trap seemed to know our first instinct was to hit the ground. If anything, more darts shot back and forth at our feet. A barb sunk in to my toe while another one grazed my spine. I was regretting choosing light clothing and sandals this morning. Two more rebels were gone before I could blink my eyes.  
I watched a hooked blade sink deeply in to the side of Noah’s neck. I dived, avoiding two more impalements as I raced to him. He was paralyzed in shock, hand probing confusingly at his bleeding skin.   
I got hold of his arm and yanked him in to motion. I saw the next cavern was the closest safe haven and dragged him the best I could in that direction.  
He finally seemed to get the message and stopped resisting me. His feet stopped dragging against the rough ground, but he wasn’t helping me either. I recoiled in the final stretch as a dart hit my hand. His arm flopped limply to the ground. I ripped out the barb with my teeth and grimaced.  
“You’re gonna have to help me here!” I hissed desperately as pulled on his shoulders. He moaned in delirious pain.   
“Great.” I hauled him the final few feet in to the larger cavern. My breathing was ragged as I dropped him on the stone floor. I cringed as his head hit the cool rock.  
I looked back to see if I could help. Only a single other person had the same idea as I had, or at least made it all the way. Most were futilely still trying to cling to the bottom part of the tunnel. Even if I could dodge the array of bullet-like blades that showed no sign of stopping, there was little I could do. It was too late for several of the bodies, and the others were too far away to give me any hope of saving them.   
Xander joined our tiny group with only a single dart embedded near his belly-button. A woman collapsed at his ankles with a nasty barb in her forehead. I ran to help her and saved her head before she drilled it in to her skull as she fell.  
“Over here!” Xander shouted out. Amber glanced over, far off in the distance as she made it back to the beach.  
Suddenly, the thunder of fizzing blades stopped. The last few lost their trajectory and rebounded lightly off the tunnel walls. I looked down at the woman in my arms, turning her around so her eyes faced mine. She stared longingly in to empty space, failing to meet my own line of sight.  
The man next to me sat up after removing a barb from his knee. “There’s little you can do to save her. Those barbs were coated in a paralyzing toxin that deprives the nerves of oxygen. Trying to remove it would damage her cerebral cortex far beyond healing. Her brain is stuck in a coma.” My hand shot to my toe and spine. The blade had only stuck to my foot, but not very deeply, barely breaking the skin.  
“It didn’t hit your nerve endings,” he explained. I nodded and tore out the barb before I had time to second guess myself. There was a remarkably small amount of blood from the clean wound. I moved over to Noah and more cautiously removed from his neck. The moment the tip exited his flesh, his shoulders loosened, and his collarbone relaxed. A milky look flooded out of his eyes. I set him down and looked to tally the damage, which I had ignored until I knew my friends were safe.  
Only seven of us had survived the trap: Me, Xander, Noah, the man on our side of the tunnel, Amber, and two women standing next to her. All the others looked to be dead or in severe comas, piles of bodies littered carelessly through the passageway.  
Amber and the two women stepped over the first pyramid of bodies.  
“Stop!” the man on our side warned. The trio stopped abruptly and looked up. “The trap can be reactivated.” He pointed to the dirt, where the ground was slightly raised in a ten-foot area around where the first woman had died. “If you press the plate it’ll start all over again.” Amber removed her raised foot from the edge. The two women began whispering back and forth frantically. They brought Amber in to the conversation, and after a few nods, she turned back around.  
“We’re going to warn Diamond,” she explained. “The plates are too large to jump across. We’ll find another way in. You guys should find a way to the main complex.” I shrugged and watched them head out of the tunnel.  
“What now?” I asked the man, who seemed to be knowledgeable.  
“I disagree with them,” he said softly. “We should stay put. There are likely several other traps lining this cavern. Our job as scouts is done.”  
The woman was clearly dead: she had slipped out of life without notice from anyone. Her breathing had gone from slight to completely stopped and her wide, scared eyes were now rolled back.  
Noah groaned and stretched. “He’s right.” I was echoed with my feelings of uneasiness from earlier. The convenience was gone, and now we were paying. We might have been lulled in to confidence by the lack of resistance on purpose, but there was still a real possibility that there was little preparation for our counter invasion.  
The decision was unanimous then. It would get us all killed if there were any more hidden devices that were anywhere near as deadly as the one, we had just come out of.  
I leaned over to whisper something to Noah but found him with his mouth hanging stupidly open. “Are you sure we got all those barbs out of you?” I joked. He continued to look right past me without even an eye flicker to acknowledge my teasing.  
“Hey Xander…” I never finished my calling because as I turned, I saw both Xander and the man were in the same frozen stupor.  
But it wasn’t just them. Dust particles were suspended in midair. All sound had ceased, even the constant background roar of the ocean. It was like all time had stopped.  
And then he moved.

Chapter Twenty-Eight  
The King  
“You!” I said angrily. “What have you done?”  
The monarch smiled weakly. “It’s a mix of charming and distortion. The spell should hold long enough for us to talk.” How had he gotten here so quickly?  
“I’d rather stab you.”  
“Then you’d die. I may look weak now, but you’re just beginning to home in on your own powers. You know I’d best you in a fight.” He was right- he looked even older and feebler than just a month ago. Ten years had passed since our last conversation.  
“That doesn’t mean I can’t try to kill an old man.” Even as I said it, I knew I couldn’t go through with it. He was defenseless, and he clearly didn’t want to fight. I had to keep attached to some of my morals.  
He rolled his eyes, “Walk with me?” I considered for a second. I might have a better shot of fighting him if he trusted me to listen. Besides, if he could stop literal time, I was at his mercy. It might be better just to hear him out rather than resist. He was going to get what he wanted one way or another.  
“Okay.” My feet trudged along to match his pace out of the cavern. We emerged from it in to a palace hallway, one I vaguely recognized.   
Laid against the ceiling, a mosaic decorated the otherwise dim area, light illuminating through shards of glass placed in strategic webs. The colors danced in a circle, changing from a brilliant gold to a vibrant blue in quick pulses.  
As I drew closer to the art piece, a golden beam rebounded off the King’s shoulders, bathing him in yellow. I watched as my hands turned to match the sea.  
I swallowed and tried to regain moisture around my lips. My head was pounding again.  
“I was sorry to hear about Relaya,” he finally said. “She was a strong young woman. I regret ever bringing her in to this.”  
I laughed sarcastically, “You have a funny way of admiring people.” How could he possibly justify executing an innocent girl?   
“You’re bitter about what happened,” He lamented. “I wouldn’t blame you. I’m not going to force you to believe it wasn’t my fault, but I hope you know I wouldn’t have ever directly ordered for that murder to happen.” Somehow the word murder really emphasized his point. But I was far from convinced.  
“You owe me more than that!” I shouted. “You took me captive! You hurt my friends! You killed Relaya.”  
He shook his head, “I didn’t. I’m the king, but I’m not in control. Bringing you in was a last bid. I’m truly sorry. I wouldn’t have taken you if I had known the turnout.”  
“Kidnapped,” I corrected.  
“Kidnapped,” He amended. “This wasn’t your war. I can't believe I ever thought it was okay to use a child...” He stared at me with faded auburn eyes, and it crossed me for a moment he was losing his sight. Milky film covered the entirety of his irises. Maybe the veil had always been there, as they weren't much to focus on, but I was certain his eyes had never looked that weathered before.  
“That's not an excuse,” I retorted with much less anger than was boiling up inside me.  
“I know that, Carter. In hindsight, it was an awful choice. But that can’t be changed. So, I’m going to help you.”  
“Why should I trust you?”  
“Because I’m going to tell you exactly where the portal is.” I nearly choked on my own surprise.  
“Why would you do that?” I stopped walking with him.  
The king bit his tongue and smiled faintly. “I'm guessing Diamond promised you a lot of things?” I nodded. “Funny how she never told you exactly how to get back. There are hundreds of portals on this island. You have less chances of picking the right one than winning the lottery. And as you know from last time, the trip takes a lot out of you.” My hands fidgeted nervously at my hips.  
“This isn’t about what Diamond did.”  
“This couldn’t be any more connected to Diamond! Everything that I’ve done over the past two years can be linked back to her.” His expression was erratic yet tired, like he had spent every waking moment thinking about how this part of the conversation would play out.  
“What do you mean?” I probed.  
He inhaled from deep within his stomach. “I’m almost certain that Diamond didn’t tell you the complete circumstances of how she got here.” He didn’t wait for affirmation before he continued. “I took Diamond from Earth because she had no family. She was a drunk party girl that was wasting her life away with drugs. She had potential for so much more here.”  
“So why did you mark her as a slave?”  
“Because I couldn’t possibly harbor an excuse to give her a home without it! Most of the other governors already looked down on me. I couldn’t risk breaking tradition more.”  
“...So, what happened?” I began to entertain the possibility of his story.  
“I messed up. I thought I saw something that wasn’t there, and I pushed too hard. Her powers weakened and she lost that spark. In its place was a manipulative backstabber that would do anything to see my downfall.”  
“Diamond was asking about her powers,” I remembered.  
The king had little reaction. “You only confirm my suspicions,” He explained. The king tapped his foot and started pacing again. “Can I ask you something?”  
“Why not?”  
“Why do you think Diamond is searching for the reason her powers got weaker?”  
I thought long and hard, “She thinks she needs them back. Which wouldn’t be the case if she only wanted to lead the rebellion.” It sounded crazy, but at the same time ringed with an echo of terrifying truth.  
“Exactly. I believe Diamond is going to make a bid to be the next Monarch.” He let the words sink in.

My first instinct was to laugh. My second was to gasp. My third and final was a sense of dramatic irony. Of course, Diamond would want to be Queen! It all fit in to place. By disguising herself as a rebel leader, she was simultaneously running a campaign to make herself the next dictator. It perfectly explained her attitude towards almost everything.  
“You agree,” the king said.  
“I do.” I let out a long, low whistle. The narrative was now completely flipped. Now that I thought about it, how could I not have realized her true intentions? From the moment I’d met her, she had come off as a conniving tyrant-to be. I had let myself be convinced something was missing, and that she was merely misunderstood. I realized a distinct difference between her and the current crown standing across from me- she had used an item in the bunker. Will had promised to keep them safe. That should have been a red flag from the beginning.  
“So, you’ve been helping us...” I realized. “The flawed invasion, the attack on the bridge, even...”  
“Relaya’s execution. I thought you would give yourself up. Maybe I could have used that to talk to you and win you over. But the other Governors hijacked the trade.”  
“Governor Hancock doesn’t listen to you?”  
“Governor Hancock never trusted me. He couldn’t understand how I could possibly want both of you to live after such an obvious betrayal. But I let him carry it out, knowing what might happen.”  
“So, you’ve just been trying to keep the seat of power long enough to keep her out of it?”  
“You understand. But it hasn’t been enough. Our defenses will fail within an hour.”   
I didn’t like just giving up. “They have you! Can’t you beat Diamond at least?”  
“I can’t,” He admitted. “Shadowing takes a toll every time I use it. In conjunction with the charming on the dragons and this distortion now, I’ll expire within an hour.”  
“You’ll die?” I clarified as if I didn’t understand.  
“I’ve been hanging on to see if maybe I could have a second chance. Now I see all I can do is make sure you get out of here safely.” I recalled that time I had walked with him in the morning at the palace. He had seemed abnormally weak. It had led me to believe originally that he had the plague, but that clearly wasn’t the case.  
“What if I don’t want to go?” I asked.  
“I’m not going to force you. But this will be your last chance. Even if you knew which cave it was, Diamond will make you a prisoner the moment this battle is over. You’ll never have a shot like this again.”  
“You don’t know that,” I replied.  
“You don’t know Diamond like I do. Carter, I could have died years ago. I’ve been clinging on to existence to stop her. She’s much more a threat than I ever was.”  
“What about my friends? I can’t leave them behind...”   
“That’s your decision to make.”  
It started to register that the man in front of me would be dead a day from now. That was, assuming he wasn’t lying, which I had a strong suspicion he wasn’t. What could he possibly gain by getting me out of here?  
“Answer my questions,” I almost commanded. “Then I’ll consider it.”   
The King bowed his hand forward in a welcoming gesture, “I’m all ears.”  
“How did you find the bunker?” I began with a bang.  
“I didn’t find the bunker.” He chuckled, “I built it. The items too. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to tell you more about shadowing. I found balance in my youth by channeling the energy in to artifacts. It didn’t start off intentional. I saw what I could do with some of my ‘punching bags’ and got greedy. Each project got larger and more ambitious. For a while I lost my way.”  
“How’d you regain control?” I wondered. I had begun to feel the effects of the skill after only a noticeably short time. I sympathized heavily with how Will must have felt as a young adult with so much pressure on his back.  
“I nearly died. It was like shock from an overdose. It helped me to realize how damaging my artifacts could potentially be, and I vowed to protect them at all cost. The only person I ever showed was my prodigy slave...Imagine my surprise when she set up a base there.”  
“You’re the one who showed Diamond inside the inverted distortion line!” Everything was clicking in to place.  
“Not only that, but I created it. You’d be amazed what you can do with a combination of different types of magic.”  
“Did you create Prophecy Island too?”  
“No,” He looked elated. “I couldn’t do something that elaborate. I wouldn’t. That prophecy is completely out of my sphere of influence.” It had been a while since I’d thought about the divining poem. It had come true in a cruel, twisted, way. Relaya was dead- ‘The girl is damned’. And that second secret verse that only I could hear was startlingly accurate, or at least well on its way to be. I didn’t tell him anything about that stanza; it was meant only for me.  
“What do you think about it?”  
“Honestly it's not worth worrying about it. If destiny is inevitable, what's the use in trying to tweak it only to find your deviations were meant to be in the first place?” It made my head spin.  
“That’s smart.”  
“Thank you, Carter. I’ve had a lot of time to think about it while I’ve waited for you.” We arrived at a prestigious door inlaid with gold and emerald. The room it protected was unlocked and unguarded.  
“Anti-climactic,” I muttered. The small room was no different than a middle class bed-room from Ohio.  
He must have heard me because he hastily put in, “I like to keep things simple. Humbles you.” He strode across the room and began digging around under the bed. After rummaging through the clutter, the King emerged triumphantly and returned with a small pocket diary.  
“The spell will break soon. This is a collection of my thoughts and a full explanation for you. I will expire before I can let that all out in audible words. So, I planned in advance.”  
“You’ll really be gone that soon?”  
“I’m afraid so. I spent a lot on controlling your friend Amber to get to Diamond. Distortion can pause the progression for a second, but it catches up to me when time returns to normal. I shouldn’t have wasted so much on the bridge fiasco.”  
“You were trying to kill Diamond?”  
“It was wishful thinking.” The old man looked down at his feet. “I didn’t know you were there. I didn’t think they would have allowed you to fight. I thought you were lost when the bridge started shaking, but...” He trailed off, obviously thinking about my fight with the dragon. I put the book in to my inside robe pocket, tucked away for when I could safely read it.  
We left the sparsely decorated bedroom and continued back down to the secret entrance. I tried to progress along with the timeline after he took in Diamond. “What about Relaya?”  
He shook his head, “That wasn’t my project. Some of my associates saw possible success after I tried to train Diamond. Lady Lumanine and Governor Hutchens fetched Relaya personally. I certainly didn’t agree with the threatening of her sister.”  
It wasn't just the threatening of Relaya’s sister. If he couldn’t admit to me, he should have been able to at least admit it to himself. “It’s not right,” I said. “You always have a choice. You take the blame for that just as much as they do.” He didn’t answer.  
Finally, a completely different question from him, “Can you do something for me?” He coughed lightly in to his hand, pulling it away red. “Excuse me,” He apologized.  
“Depends...” I said slowly.  
He pulled off the crown on his forehead. “Take this. She can’t ascend without it.” I gaped at the golden circlet.  
“Why me?” I asked.  
“Because I don’t have anyone else to give it to. I want you to hide it.”  
I continued to stare at the golden crown. “You do know this doesn’t make up for what you did? You still have the death of thousands on your shoulders. Only you can take the blame for that.”  
“That doesn’t mean I can’t try to make up for it. Repentance starts with a single action.”  
“You don’t deserve repentance.” I said blankly. It was cruel, but a true statement that he needed to hear. A lot of his actions had explanations, but excuses didn’t bring back lives.  
“I know. I’m not asking for forgiveness. Just understanding. And that takes time. I’m afraid it’s more than I have.”  
I saw a dust particle fall lightly on his forehead. “Does that mean time is up?”  
“Go back to your friends. Tell them little about this conversation. Move swiftly. You’ll find the cave on the left most path on the back side of the palace. It’s the first opening on the right. Repeat that to me.”  
I recited the instructions. “Good.” He relaxed as if a weight was being pushed of his shoulders. “If you ever need help, seek out the herb woman on the Air-Stone Islands. I hope you’ll never need her advice.”  
“Thank you,” I said graciously, wondering if I'd ever seek her out.  
We heard slow-motion yelling off in the distance. It sounded like it was coming out of a distorted sound machine, not a human mouth. And it was speeding up. “-And now it's time for me to apologize to Relaya.” He said slowly. I pitied the old, withered, man that was clearly dying right in front of me. It looked like he had aged another five years in our short walk back near the cavern. He was nearing that of an elderly body.  
“Surely there’s something I can do?” Nobody deserved to die like this, even him.  
“Leave me. My death is inevitable. Save yourself while you still have a chance.” The King curled up on the ground in a painful ball.  
“Goodbye Will.” I was nicer then I should have been to the semi-dictator. But he wouldn’t be hurting anyone ever again.  
“I’m sorry,” I thought I heard his measly skeleton croak.  
I had no other words.  
I turned around towards my friends, leaving the aging corpse to a lonely death.

Chapter Twenty-Nine  
The Choice  
“Run that by me again,” Noah tilted his head. “The King isn't actually that bad, Diamond isn't that good, but it's okay because he’s dead, and for some reason you have the crown?”  
“It’s a long story,” I apologized. “Right now, we need to get out of here.”  
“Where would we go?” Xander asked.  
“To the portals. I know exactly where mine is.” Noah’s face fell. I guess he had always held out hope that I wasn’t serious. And I still wasn’t sure I was.  
“At least for now,” I added. “We need to leave before the battles over.”  
“What about that?” Noah pointed shakily to the crown as if it was an atomic bomb.  
“I’m going to hide it.”  
“-And what business do you have doing that?” The man spoke up. He had been so silent I had almost forgotten about him.  
“-For safekeeping,” I stumbled.   
“From Diamond?” He hadn’t struck me as a supporter.   
“For now... I had to be careful with my next few words. I noticed his gripping nervously around the hilt of his sword.  
Noah turned to the man. “You’ll know what she’ll do with it.”  
“It’s not my business. I’m just following orders.”  
“Which are wrong!” Xander echoed my opinions.  
He scowled. “You don’t know what you’re getting yourselves in to. It’s not smart for you to second-guess your allegiances.”  
“I happen to know exactly who I’m loyal to. And she’s not getting this crown.” I spat out angrily. He unsheathed his blade as the three of us stepped back.  
“Carter, go!” Noah ordered.  
“No!” I wasn’t about to leave the brothers again.  
“I’ll stay,” Xander volunteered.   
“No!” Noah and I said simultaneously. I looked with a new light to the grown-up thirteen-year-old who was willing to sacrifice his life for me.  
“We’ll stay together,” I tried to finish the argument as the man prepared for his first strike.  
“Your too important.” Noah stated. “Xander and I will hold him off together. There will be more looking for you not far behind.” It must have been hard for him to let me go. It sent a rush of fuzzy feelings through my spine- confusion, gratitude, regret...and something else that I couldn’t place.  
He was right. We had to split up. “I’ll see you soon,” I promised Noah.  
“Stay safe.” Noah didn’t throw back my goodbye, whether because he didn’t believe it, or because he was too worried to get out a long sentence.  
I made a funny spasm that resembled a bow for final closure and raced out, narrowly avoiding a long swing from the man’s sword.  
I thought back to the direction we had come in and cut to what should have been the back side of the palace. The farther I went, the brighter lit the building became, and the narrower it became. I couldn’t follow where the light was coming from, like beams were floating around from everywhere at once. I had to shield my eyes as I made my way down a particularly tight passage.  
When I came out the other end, a ruined room overgrown with jungle roots greeted me. Stone tumbled in to plants about halfway down each wall. Weeds tangled themselves through the roofless room, sputtering to sparse leaves at my feet. The sun was blinding, even compared to the lights in the palace. It took a few minutes for my eyes to adjust.  
A blast rung out behind me. I stumbled to the ground as it felt like a shockwave was rippling through the tall grass. My eyes widened as large stone dismantled itself from a useless pillar on a stark trajectory for my head. I rolled before it could hit me, rebounding up to my feet as the explosion faded away. Without another entrance, Diamond must have been trying to blow her way in to the palace.  
I glanced back at the way I'd gotten out. It disguised itself perfectly in the wall, woven perfectly to rebound the sunlight in to an illusion. Ahead, the path split five ways deeper in to the jungle. I walked hesitantly down the farthest left fork way, careful to avoid tree fall around the underused pass.  
I stared at the crown in my hand. When better to hide it then now? I’d then be able to focus on my mounting indecision about Earth.  
So, then I was faced with the prospect of where the royal circlet would be safe. Diamond might thoroughly search the area near my cave, so that was clearly an awful choice. It wouldn’t be smart either to put it near the slightly trodden dirt.  
I spotted a ring of mushrooms that strayed far from normal observation. The spot would be perfect- not an obvious marker, but a decent flag if I ever needed to locate it again. I scooped some dirt about ten feet away from the circle and moved away some smaller plants so I could bury the crown.  
I put it much deeper than necessary, amassing a mountain of dirt as I dug farther. I carefully laid the crown in it and exhaled. There was a possibility I'd never see it again, so I admired it for maybe the last time. Then I filled in the hole again, moving a few sparse leaves over the ring of disturbed dirt. My job was done.  
And I had a choice to make. Did I stay in Latuga, ultimately committing myself to the islands for an exceptionally long time? Or did I go to my family?   
I wondered if the book would have any advice. Much to my surprise, the first page was the prophecy.  
“One by one, the islands will fall   
King bathed in red to rule them all  
Underrated power to end his reign  
The girl is damned, his demons slain  
Love is yet to sway his heart  
Love will tear the war apart  
Return in shame, killed yet ten  
Fate to cross love’s path again  
Both are evil, both will rule  
The first of which is half the duel  
Keep in status, Latuga’s doomed  
Carter’s powers come to bloom

The poem included the lines I thought only I could hear. But they must have revealed themselves to the King as well. And looking back at it, the entire hidden stanza made a lot more sense. Both are evil, both will rule. Neither Will or Diamond were fit to rule Latuga, but both would be royalty. The king had kept in his role as long as possible, either preventing catastrophe or causing it. The first of which is half the duel. My time spent fighting King was only the first half of my adventure. One day, Diamond would replace him. If had harnessed my abilities, I could stop her.  
So maybe it was inevitable that even if I left, Latuga would call for my help one day. I had a duty after this war.  
I thumbed through the rest of the journal, which marked a lot of dates and personal entries that was starkly like the exert I had read left at the bunker. I was almost one-hundred percent sure this was the book the page had been ripped from. There was a snippet missing early from the diary, almost a perfect spot for where the anecdote could have come from. This had belonged to the King for many years, long before I was even born. That would explain how dog-eared and worn some of the pages were.  
Sprinkled in were several diagrams and maps with increasing quantity as I neared the back. The writing became more erratic as the remaining sheets of paper thinned. I read a small exert from about the midpoint:  
It has become astonishingly clear that shadowing is taking its toll on my body. When I was once able to slow my aging appearance to a crawl, I am now accelerating to twice the normal rate. By now the others have noticed.  
Communication with Relaya has failed on my part. I'm afraid she is too far gone for my redemption, but there is still hope for others. I may try again in the future.  
I skimmed over the very last piece of writing, which was marked with a small yellow bookmark. The pages had experienced recent water damage.  
Now I know I'm writing to you. I didn’t know why I was collecting my thoughts before, but this has all been for one thing. If you interpret the prophecy as I have, you will leave and return. Don’t try to escape it. So, go. If this might give you peace for a few final days, weeks, months, or years with your family before you are back, you must take it. Next time, it won’t be because someone has taken you from your life. It will be on your own accord, because this has become a grand part of your life.  
Remember Relaya. She can be your martyr for strength. If you let her death slip from your memory, you may lose what you’re fighting for.  
I recommend you balance yourself for when that time comes. You may lose all your powers on Earth, but with calm meditation and focus, you may be able to find a much weaker version of what you once had. Keep in touch with this part of your spirituality and it won’t fail you.  
Or you can try and run. You may still live several decades away from Latuga. I am unsure how our times interact. It sometimes depends on the balance of our world. But be warned- whether it’s the prophecy or Diamond, Latuga will find you. So, it's best to be prepared. Re-read everything in this book and you might have a chance.  
I’m not claiming to be the best person but carry out my final legacy and stop her. Whatever I've done wrong for these islands, the instability Diamond has prepared has quelled to my horrors.  
I’m praying not only for my own selfish reasons, but for you. I want to repay what I have done. Whatever you think, you are not alone. I have gathered as much resources as possible for you to succeed. I can continue to help from behind the grave, which has surely reached me by the time you read this.   
Goodbye for now.  
-Will  
That’s when I made up my mind. I was leaving. Not forever, but enough to sort out my life on Earth before the next chapter in this island chain. I owed it to my parents and Myra. I couldn’t explain to them directly about how they might lose me forever, but I couldn't slowly distance myself to allow them to prepare. If that did matter. I recalled what Lady Lumanine had said about how slowly time seemed to pass there when we were here. I might go through my entire life before they even realized I was missing again. But most importantly, I needed closure for myself.   
I thought back to Diamond’s advice. She had said when she grew stronger connections in Latuga then she had on Earth, she had decided not to go back. I couldn’t trust her now, but the advice still stood strong. She might have been trying to convince me to stay here, but it compelled my case in an opposite way. I still had people I cared about. My mother, my father, and Myra. They made mistakes all the time, but I realized my disconnect from them was just as bad a failure. I was supposed to love people no matter their faults, and I still needed a chance to show that to them. I loved them just as much as Noah, Amber, and Xander.  
On the very last page was a sketch of a young women, brightly smiling. I almost didn’t recognize Diamond looking so happy. She had the same physical features, but the grin that spread on this women’s face was long gone. Something else had happened to her that the King didn’t elaborate on. Something larger that made her snap. When I had the chance and I was safe; I would be studying the weathered book much more thoroughly. I hoped it would answer my questions that still lingered about Will’s mysterious life.  
I tucked the book away and made my way back to the path. I followed it to a much rockier set of ridges. On my near right was a six-foot opening that led farther in to a cave. This was it. It had all seemed so far away until I was there. It was right in front of me. Now.  
I crouched by the overpass. The dark expanse in front of me was oddly like the mirrored Earth one, abnormally large crickets and all. There was the split: one side wet with water, the other falsely welcoming. Every turn, every curve was familiar. I could almost hear our guide narrating about Erosion. But there were no holes. Just my transport.   
Far off was the portal, illuminated by rays flickering in and out of alignment. Shining with an odd royal purple, I could feel its pull from hundreds of yards away. My robe came untucked from the unnatural wind and whipped towards the vortex. I stepped fully in to the cave and looked longingly at the portal.  
This was it. I could go home.  
Except once again, I wasn’t alone.  
“Carter...” A voice whispered. The one person I hadn’t said goodbye too...

Chapter Thirty  
The Portal  
“So that’s it?” Amber asked. I didn’t have to look to know who it was. “You were just going to leave without saying anything? I know you have a right to go, but you didn’t even tell us.” She bent her knees and slid into the cave next to me.  
“How’d you find me?”  
“The king filled me in before he died. I was a bit ahead of everyone else. I knew that if you had the chance to go, you’d take it. That’s not an excuse not to tell me, by the way.”  
“I’m sorry…Noah said it was my only shot.”  
“Noah…” She bit her lip. I flipped all the way towards her. She was clearly nervous and upset. I put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her distress. Amber shrugged it away and met my eyes after changing stature.  
Her eyes contrasted with her darker skin and pierced deep in to mine. Amber mirrored my move, but instead went to hold my hand. Mine was still a deeper shade next to her complexion. Our hands fit together like gloves.  
I felt guilty and I didn’t know why. I didn’t think it was for failing to say goodbye, or even that I was leaving Latuga in too the hands of yet another dictator. It was something about the girl standing next to me, and yet still so far from that.  
“You’ll be fine,” I promised without genuinely believing it.  
She started to answer when an explosion rattled the sky. The cave shook in anger. A rock came loose from the ceiling and narrowly missed my nose. That would have been ironic- I had hurt my nose arriving, it would have been perfect for it to be smashed on the way out.  
I sniffed and had my nostrils flooded with smoke. The battles must have been reaching their peaks. It would all be over soon if the King was truly out of the way.  
We wiped away the soot and dust that shielded the others faces. She looked deadly serious. The moment the initial war was over, we both knew Diamond would come right for me. I was running out of time.  
I thought perhaps she would use her last few moments to plead with me to stay with her. Instead, she moved closer.  
Amber picked a pebble out of my hair. I was merely a few inches taller than her; I was looking down slightly at her eyebrows. We were close enough however for our mouths to be about eight inches apart. My fist clenched and I found my palm wet with nervous perspiration.  
She stood on her toes and I knew what was about to happen. My lips were numb, and I couldn’t understand what was going on. Wasn’t this what I wanted? To stay with Amber in Latuga?  
I realized that wasn’t the problem. It was him.  
As she met my mouth, I wasn’t thinking about her at all. When my thoughts changed, hot embers shot through my body. I had to remind myself who I was actually kissing, and that made me pull away.  
“-I’m sorry- “I began, knowing I was going to be interrupted.  
“-It’s fine…” She looked down at the dirt. “I sort of always knew. It’s him, isn’t it?”  
I nodded, tears brimming in my eyes because in the back of my head, I still couldn’t admit it to myself. My mouth spoke in great alarm to my paralyzed body.  
I didn’t like Amber, I never had- “I like Noah,” I finished out loud. It felt better to admit it out loud. I had never told anyone about my mixed sexuality before. I’d always hidden it, not because I was afraid of my parents or my friends, but because I myself could not accept it.   
“-I know,” She cut in before I could start having a panic attack. She squeezed my hand as my ragged breath passed. Far behind me, I could sense the vortex tugging at my robe, as if a signal it was time to go.  
“I wanted to stay. For him. For you.” I wiped my eyes.  
“Carter you still can. I don’t want you to think I’m being selfish, but we can still hide. Just stay a little longer…”  
“Amber, you do know this is my last chance, right? Diamond played us all. She always meant to. And she won’t stop. Just promise me you’ll find Noah and Xander and run. I know this is my last shot-don’t make it be yours.” Why couldn’t I say that I didn’t think I could stand it to tell Noah and get my heart broken? I should have known from the beginning not to get attached. Once I’d get back, all I would think about would be my friends from here.  
I had thought about it before. It had just never seemed to be an option. Now I was on the threshold. I had interpreted my feelings the wrong way.  
“I can’t stay because Noah doesn’t like me.” Why couldn’t he have just left me alone? He had given me every sign, every hint that led me in to believing that maybe it was possible a relationship could work out between us. It would have been better for me if I had never met him. It would have been better If I could have just kissed Amber back. I had heard that conversation between the two of them. He didn’t like me like that. I didn’t even know how progressive they were in Latuga. If they still had slaves, I imagined they could lean conservatively if that ever became wide-spread knowledge. She nodded in recognition: I couldn’t stay here. I wouldn’t be able to handle it. I had to recollect myself in my own time before I could worry about him.  
“Amber, can I ask you one last thing?”  
“Of course.” The corners of her mouth tried to lift up. The ensuing expression looked like a menacing glare. I had almost forgotten I had just turned her down too. We were in the same boat.  
“If anything happens, and any of you guys need me, find the portal to Mammoth Cave. Leave a note on the other side. I promise you I’ll return if you need me.” I meant it too. And in the meantime, I could reconcile with my family, secretly studying the King’s book until I had memorized every word. I would be prepared on top of anything.  
She flung her arms around me and gripped my neck tightly. “I’m so sorry Carter,” she whispered softly in my ear. We swayed to the pull of the portal for long past a minute. I gave her a plutonic peck on the cheek, which she didn’t blush too. She accepted being friend-zoned maybe a lot better than I ever would.  
“I’m going to miss you.” I stepped away from her and straightened my robe. Was it really only a month ago when I had first awoken in that dark room under the palace? Years had passed in my head; maybe from distortion playing tricks on my brain.  
As I moved towards home and away from Latuga, I couldn’t help but turn around and look at it one last time. Amber was rooted on the same spot, successfully smiling and crying at the same time. Things were going to change when my family discovered me in the cave with a white robe on unintelligibly sobbing about a made-up world.  
“Goodbye,” my vocal chords cracked in raw emotion.  
“Goodbye.” Amber’s voice echoed the same sad song. I was going to miss her just as much as Noah, for much different reasons. She had been here since the very beginning, when I had awoken to the King and Governor Hutchens. That was all so far away now.  
I turned back around, simultaneously turning my back on Latuga and stood face to face with the portal, now less than five yards away. It was identical to the one I had been thrown in, and I was sure this was the right one. It felt right as I walked in to it.

My arms met its power first, melding almost like lukewarm jelly in to the storm. Far off, I thought I could see another chamber, one with cave paintings surrounding its walls. I turned as it sucked me in, and I got one last look at Amber gently waving her hand at my dissolving body.  
I worried that maybe everyone had lied, and that when I got back, more than a month would have passed. Or maybe I wasn’t going back to Earth at all. Deep down, I sensed that was wrong. The portal felt like it wanted me, needed me to go in. I felt like a puzzle piece finally being returned to its original box.  
I had changed a lot though, and I wasn’t sure I would fit nicely in to the new picture. Just look at all the people I had met and how they had changed me. Relaya, who had taught me pain, as I watched her die in front of me, and had to move past her grief. Amber, who showed me compassion, in a way that I couldn’t explain. She had been a loyal friend from the beginning (minus the mind control). And then there was Diamond, who emphasized the importance of trusting someone.  
And Noah, who had yet to break my heart.  
I felt like it was the end and the beginning all at once.   
I wondered if this part of the adventure wasn’t quite yet over. I would have a newfound obsession with caves- assuming my parents didn’t put me under lockdown from fear. Someday, I predicted Amber would contact me for help. The prophecy would find me. It almost scared me how eager I was for that day to come.  
My mind felt hazy, just like last time. It was quickly turning black. I had less than a minute before I would pass out. Even my powers were leaking away. It wasn’t something I’d ever be able to put in to words, but my shadowing, my distorting, even my moving, which I had failed to access; were seeping out of me. I don’t think I had realized how much the skills had awakened and been a part of me, and I hadn’t given a thought to what would happen. The fire was quickly extinguishing.  
I was losing consciousness fast.  
I wasn’t sure what would happen when I would wake up.  
I wasn’t sure who Noah really liked.  
I wasn’t sure when Amber would ask for myself.  
But I was sure of one thing as I blacked out. This wasn’t the last time I’d visit Latuga.  
My head fell in too absolute sleep…

And this wasn’t the end…

Epilogue  
The Adeverian  
Noah was terrified.  
He might as well have just swallowed poison. He wished Amber hadn’t told him so many details about Carter’s departure. Not only that, but Amber had been acting even weirder normal when they had met, and Noah was almost one hundred percent sure why.  
The adeverian he had just downed would reveal all of that to the person he hated the most.  
“Noah, you know it’s not just for me. It’s in the best interest of everyone to get Carter back.”  
“What about him?” Noah shot back.  
Diamond’s fingers twitched under the table as if itching to fidget with something.   
Noah felt the truth serum begin to set in, and his mouth strained in anticipation. He wouldn’t be able to resist this like Carter had. For one, it was a much stronger dose, and he was no shadower.  
Noah had gone back to get Xander after Amber’s warning about Diamond. They had split up in the process. Xander was a few rooms away, being put through the same interrogation. Noah hadn’t gotten to explain much to him, so it was actually good for him to be in the dark. Noah just hoped Amber hadn’t followed his lead and had been able to escape.  
“What did she tell you?” Diamond prodded lightly.  
Noah’s mouth frothed as he fought the potion; it wasn’t enough to stop the words from flowing out.  
“She told me to get him back…” He was able to stop for a brief moment.  
“Which is-?” Diamond asked impatiently.  
Noah wanted to keep putting up a fight. Contradiction flooded his heart. On one hand, he couldn’t betray his friend, and on the other, darker side, he needed Carter. It was selfish, but enough for a large seed of doubt to be planted. It disturbed Noah that he couldn’t tell the difference between the adeverian and his own thoughts.  
“Tell me, Noah,” she coaxed soothingly. “Don’t you want to see him again? You know he won’t come back on his own.”  
Never to see Carter again, especially when Noah hadn’t yet told him about his secret…How could they have a chance if Carter never even knew? If Noah didn’t tell Diamond, then there wasn’t even a chance of seeing him again.  
The thought broke him.  
“-Mammoth Cave…” It was the last thing Noah sputtered before passing out on to the table.

Diamond smiled.


End file.
